Maccabi hosts KAA Gent, for the final Conference League group stage match which was relocated to the TSC Arena in Backa Topola, Serbia following the war in Israel.
With Gent currently leading the standings ahead of Maccabi, the match is set to decide the identity of the group winner which will advance to the round of 16 while the runner-up will play in the round of 32. Robbie Keane’s charges have 12 points, one a drift of Gent as only a victory could see Maccabi capture top spot. When both teams met earlier in the campaign, Gent inflicted Maccabi their only defeat so far this season, losing 2-0 in Belgium on October 5th. Two days later the Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel, a fact which led to all European home matches relocated abroad. Despite all that Maccabi recorded three victories beating Zorya twice in Poland and Serbia as well as Breidablik in Iceland.
Prior to the departure, the team continued their preparations for the encounter with the Belgians as they held their final pre-match training session at Kiryat Shalom. At Ben Gurion Airport the team were joined by Maccabi’s Basketball team and shared a historic flight to Belgrade where they host their matches in the Euroleague.
