A day after the Europa League phase draw Maccabi Tel Aviv’s fixtures were published by UEFA this evening (Saturday).

Zarko Lazetic’s side which will play in the Europa League for the second season in succession, and received a tough draw with opponents from Greece, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany and Italy learned the order of matches they will play in the 2025/26 campaign.

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC fixtures and kickoff times (in CET):

MD1 September 24th: PAOK FC vs Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (Toumba stadium at 18:45)

MD2 October 2nd: Maccabi Tel Aviv FC vs GNK Dinamo Zagreb (TSC Arena at 21:00)

MD3 October 23rd: Maccabi Tel Aviv FC vs FC Midtjylland (TSC Arena at 21:00)

MD4 November 6th: Aston Villa FC vs Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (Villa Park at 21:00)

MD5 November 27th Maccabi Tel Aviv FC vs Olympique Lyon (TSC Arena at 21:00)

MD6 December 11th: VfB Stuttgart vs Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (MHPArena / Neckarstadion at 18:45)

MD7 January 22nd: SC Freiburg vs Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (Europa-Park / Mooswald stadion at 18:45)

MD8 January 29th: Maccabi Tel Aviv FC vs Bologna FC 1909 (TSC Arena at 21:00

 

 

 

Preview

Carrying a 3-1 lead from last week’s first leg at the TSC Arena, Maccabi arrived at the Lublin Arena for the return leg of the EUROPA League playoff against Dynamo Kyiv.

Maccabi’s Head Coach Zarko Lazetic made no changes from the side that won last week as Roi Mishpati started in goal with Heitor and Ali Camara lining up as the two central defenders in front of him. Tyrese Asante on the right and Roy Revivo on the left completed Maccabi’s defensive line. Issouf Sissokho and Kristijan Belic were named once again in the engine room. Dor Peretz who scored a brace last week, led the team out with the captain’s armband at te top of the midfield trio. Osher Davida and Sagiv Jehezkel supplied the width to Maccabi’s formation in support of Elad Madmon who spearheaded the attack.

On the bench alongside goalkeepers Ofek Melika and Shalev Saadya, Lazetic named Raz Shlomo, Denny Gropper, Yonas Malede, Noam Ben Harosh, Ben Lederman, Itamar Noy, Saied Abu Farchi, Ido Shahar, Itai Ben Hamo and Ion Nicolaescu.

First Half

The hosts took the initiative right from the start as Dynamo Kyiv took the lead as early as the fifth minute. Oleksandr Pikhalonok was given the time and space to whip in a cross from the left which eluded Maccabi’s defense. Former Maccabi Panamanian forward Eduardo Guerrero goosed into the box and sent a header which went in off the post to beat Roi Mishpati to gave Kyiv the lead and cut the deficit to 3-2 on aggregate. Guerrero could have doubled Kyiv’s lead on the night in the 11th minute as he burst down the left of Maccabi’s defense and from a tight angle fired across the face of goal and wide.

In the 25th minute Issouf Sissokho was cautioned by the referee for a for a foul on Vitaliy Buyalskyi inside the center circle. Four minutes after the half hour mark Dor Peretz had the first attempt on goal which was blocked by a defender for a corner. The resulting corner was cleared by Kyiv’s defense all the way to Mishpati who picked Roy Revivo witb an accurate pass. Revivo slipped the ball to Peretz who had another shot on goal as Ruslan Neshcheret required two attempts to collect. In the 39th minute Oleksandr Karavayev found himself inside Maccabi’s penalty area but from a comfortable position shot wide. On the stroke of halftime Maccabi reached its best chance as Revivo combined well with Sagiv Jehezkel whose cut back found Elad Madmon inside the area. With Neshcheret off his line Madmon fired the his effort which was blocked by a defender on his goalline.

Second Half

Lazetic made one change after the break as Itamar Noy replaced Sissokho at the restart. Eight minutes into the second half Revivo burst into the box from the left and unleashed a powerful drive that Neshcheret managed to push onto his post before Kyiv’s defense managed to clear. Lazetic made his second change in the 68th minute as Madmon bowed out and was replaced by Ion Nicolaescu.

Lazetic made his second change in the 68th minute as Madmon bowed out and was replaced by Ion Nicolaescu. Raz Shlomo came on for Heitor in the 76th minute as Lazetic made his third substitution on the night. In the 85th minute Davida charged into the box before clipping the ball to Peretz whose header narrowly missed the target. Ben Lederman replaced Belic a minute later as Lazetic added a fresh pair of legs into the midfield that never stopped chasing throughout the match. 

Kyiv kept pushing men forward in an attempt to level the score on aggregate and force extra time. The fourth official signalled five minutes of added time as Maccabi were desperate to hang onto the lead.

Maccabi’s 24-year-old winger Osher Davida who will aim to lead the club to the Europa League phase for the second season in succession faced the media ahead of Thursday’s return leg against Dynamo Kyiv in Lublin Poland. Davida, who joined Maccabi two seasons ago, won two league titles and reached the Conference League round of 16, set his sights for the season: “I would like to repeat last season and improve it.”

Despite a 3-1 lead from last week’s first leg at the TSC Arena, Davida recalled the 6-1 defeat by Olympiacos which folowed a 4-1 victory in the first leg when he said:

“Absolutely, there aren’t many players left from the side that played Olympiacos, but I remember it well and I’ll remember it for a long time. The mission definitely isn’t complete and I hope no one thinks otherwise. We need to approach it as 0-0 and win the match the way we know how to. We can’t afford to think of anything else. In the previous match, everyone said we should have scored more, but also that we played a good game. Now the focus is on the next match.”

On his personal goals for the season Davida said: “From a team perspective, it is to defend the league title. I think I’ve been here two years now, and we’ve been knocked out of the State Cup in the early rounds, so the target is also to go for the Cup, it hasn’t happened since that final” Davida referred to the State Cup Maccabi won while he was on the losing side witn city rivals Hapoel. “Personally, I want to repeat last season and even improve it. I won’t settle for what was because I want to progress individually.”

“I always look at myself the same way. Maybe I should say, you can be more significant. I’m trying to improve myself,” he added.

Following the departure of several key players and the arrival of several new ones, Maccabi new look side leaves Davida as one of the most experienced members in the dressing room. “A lot has changed. There is a new and good dynamic here, young guys, good ones. I think everyone is taking on more responsibility. Some will take on leadership roles, I hope it will be good, I believe in the group of guys we have”.

Maccabi’e captain Dor Peretz celebrated his 78th European match with two goals as he led Maccabi to a 3-1 victory over Dynamo Kyiv in the first leg of the Europa League Playoff. The 30-year old midfielder said after the match at the TSC Arena in Backa Topola that kicked off 15 minutes late due to a thunder and lightning storm: “It seems the rain served everyone well, along with this result. It was a very good match for us, a great performance. We were very focused, sharp, compact. We can be proud, but there’s still one more mission to complete next week and I hope we will get it done.”

Peretz who has seen some highs and lows in Europe remained grounded as he added: “This is only one half of a two legged tie. We still have a lot of work to do. I am sure that if we show the same ability as today, we will succeed. We were aggressive, compact, and it served us well.”

Preview:

Seven days after beating Hamrun Spartans, Maccabi returned to the TSC Arena in Backa Topola for the first leg of the Europa League Playoff against Dynamo Kyiv.

Maccabi’s 200th match in European competitions will see them face the Ukrainians for the first of a two-legged tie which will ultimately decide who advances to the Europa League phase. Next week, Dynamo Kyiv host Maccabi at the Lublin Arena in Poland for the return leg.

 

Following the transfer of Dor Turgeman to MLS side New England Revolution and the potential departure of Weslley Patati, Maccabi’s coach, Zarko Lazetic, made several changes to his side starting line-up.

Roi Mishpati kept his place in goal with Heitor and Ali Mohamed Camara lining up as the two central defenders in front of him. Tyrese Asante on the right and Roy Revivo on the left completed Maccabi’s defensive back four that would try and contain the Ukrainian side that feature former player Eduardo Guerrero.

The eligibility of new signing, Kristijan Belic, allowed Lazetic to name the Serbian midfielder alongside Issouf Sissokho in Maccabi’s engine room. Dor Peretz, was named at the top of the midfield trio, leading the team out with the captain’s armband on his 78th European match for the club. Osher Davida on one wing and Sagiv Jehezkel on the opposite flank supplied the width to Maccabi’s formation. Elad Madmon who scored two late goals in the campaign so far, spearheaded the attack. On the bench Lazetic named goalkeeper Ofek Melika, Raz Shlomo, Denny Gropper, Yonas Malede, Nemanja Stojic, Noam Ben Harosh, Ben Lederman, Itamar Noy, Saied Abu Farchi, Ido Shahar, Itay Ben Hemo and Ion Nicolaescu

First Half

A thunder and lightning storm forced kickoff to be postponed by 15 minutes, but when the match got underway Maccabi created a great chance inside the opening minute. Sagiv Jehezkel slipped the ball into the path of Dor Peretz who found himself behind Dynamo Kyiv’s defense. But the Maccabi skipper couldn’t gain control of the ball, and the chance was missed. Maccabi continued to dominate as Issouf Sissokho fed Jehezkel down the left, only to see his cross blocked allowing goalkeeper Ruslan Neshcheret to collect.

In the 8th minute Kristijan Belic dispossessed a Kyiv opponent deep inside the visitors’ territory before picking Dor Peretz whose powerful shot was blocked by the advancing keeper. Four minutes later, Maccabi were rewarded for their efforts with Jehezkel and Peretz combining well for the opener. Jehezkel picked Peretz’s run into the box before the Maccabi captain drilled the ball home past Neshcheret to score his first of the season. The Kyiv keeper denied Davida in the 17th minute as two minutes later he was also kept busy this time by a dangerous Madmon shot on 19. Two minutes later, Neshcheret could do nothing against a Davida curling left foot shot that sailed past him but rattled the post.

A last gasp Tyrese Asante tackle on the edge of the area managed to block an Andryi Yarmolenko left foot drive after a confusion between Ali Camara and Peretz gifted Kyiv the ball just inside Maccabi’s half. Right on the half hour mark Vladyslav Vanat created the time and space inside the box but saw his effort roll across the face of Roi Mishpati’s goal and wide of the target. A minute later, the visitors were back on level terms. Vanat carved Maccabi’s defense open with a through ball to Nazar Voloshyn whose shot went in off the post to beat Mishpati. Roy Revivo who looked lively down Maccabi’s left flank drilled a left foot shot from the edge of the area which Neshcheret could only palm over his crossbar on 41. The halftime whistle sent both teams to try and dry out in the dressing rooms

Second half

With no changes after the interval the two sides returned to the pitch for the second half as the heavy rain didn’t stop pouring. Three minutes after the restart Jehezkel remained on the ground following a rough tackle by Kostiantyn Vivcharenko which went unpunished by referee Giorgi Kruashvili. Davida lost possession on the edge of Kyiv’s area before Issouf Sissokho was cautioned for a foul on Voloshyn. The referee was called to the VAR to review the tackle on Jehezkel and after watching the replays on the screen showed Vivcharenko the red card. Maccabi took advantage of the numerical advantage eight minutes later as Belic sent a perfect square pass across the face of goal allowing Jehezkel to sweep the ball home and restore Maccabi’s lead. Jehezkel had a powerful shot saved by Neshcheret on 61 before Belic was booked for a mistimed tackle on a Kyiv player. Lazetic made two changes in the 66th minute as Belic and Elad Madmon came off to a standing ovation by the 100 Maccabi fans as they were replaced by Ido Shahar and Ion Nicolaescu.

Three minutes later Maccabi increased their lead as with Revivo found Peretz in the middle if the Kyiv penalty area. Maccabi’s captain shrugged off a challenge by a Kyiv defender before firing in his second of the night to make it 3-1 on 69. In the 78th minute Davida raced half the length of the pitch to carry a counterattack before feeding Jehezkel whose shot sailed wide of the post. Two minutes later Mispahti got a hand to turn Eduardo Guerrero’s powerful shot over the crossbar. Lazetic made another change as Jehezkel bowed out and was replaced by Saied Abu Farchi who came on for the final seven minutes. Lazetic made his two final substitutions on the night as Nemanja Stojic and Itamar Noy replaced both Ali Camara and Sissokho in the 90th minute. The full-time whistle ended the first half of the tie as the two sides will meet in Lublin next week where it will be decided who advances to the Europa League Phase and who will play in the Conference League.