Maccabi face bitter city rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Toto Cup Final at Bloomfield Stadium with a lot more than bragging rights at stake. After winning one trophy this season, lifting the Super Cup following a victory away to Hapoel Be’ersheva, Maccabi will try and win a second piec e of silverware. The victory at Tuner booked Maccabi’s place in the Toto Cup Semi Final where Kenny Miller’s side saw off Maccabi Netanya.
Hapoel Tel Aviv await Maccabi in the final at Bloomfield which is set to be split between the two sets of fans.
Ahead of the derby, Maccabi’s captain Dor Peretz who will look to lift the second trophy of the campaign, spoke the special atmosphere of this fixture.
“This is a very, very important game for us against our city rivals,” Peretz said. “We know them well, understand their strengths and how they play, and are preparing accordingly, of course. We’ll be happy to show our style of football and come away with a win. This is a game about a great deal of pride and a trophy.”
The 31-year-old who is Maccabi’s most experienced player and has his fair share of Tel Aviv derbies under his belt, added: “We know what kind of game we’re heading into. It’s a cup final, and the whole atmosphere is different, Bloomfield will be full, with the fans split half-and-half. That’s why we need to take to the pitch with tremendous enthusiasm, be very intelligent in the way we play and know how to approach the game properly.”
During the first meeting between the two sides earlier this season, Maccabi scored four goals on the way to a 4-1 victory. Together with a consolation goal Hapoel conceded in a 3-1 victory over Kiryat Shmona, these are the only goals Hapoel conceded in eight matches this season. “Hapoel are a great team and have been doing wonderful things in the league since the start of the season” Peretz said. “The facts speak for themselves, apart from the game against us, they have conceded very few goals. We’re aware of that and are preparing accordingly.”
Maccabi on the other hand in good goalscoring form as Miller’s side scored six goals against Hapoel Haifa at the weekend to reach a tally of 24 league goals in eight matches, as Perertz said: “That’s thanks to the good performances of all the players in the team, which have allowed us to dominate in the attacking third. We win the ball high up the pitch, create chances and take them. We work a lot in training on the right things, and it’s showing on the pitch. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”
After Noam Ben Harush underwent an operation on his knee and joins Tyrese Asante on Maccabi’s long term injury list, Peretz said: “We have excellent players in those positions who can step in and fill those roles. They’re in very good form and know how to cover for those who are unavailable. As a team, we need to do everything we can to concede as few goals as possible. Winning a derby is very important because it creates a tremendous boost, and it can certainly send a message that we’re very much in the title picture.”
