Maccabi Tel Aviv will face tomorrow (19:45) their toughest challenge this season when Robbie Keane’s side line-up against Belgian outfit KAA Gent on MD2 of the Conference League group stage.

Gent, which were ranked in pot A of the group stage draw, entered the competition in the qualifying round after finishing their domestic Jupiler League in 5^th spot. After knocking out Slovakian side MSK Zilina 10-3 on aggregate in the 2^nd qualifying round Gent were teamed up with Polish outfit Pogon Szczecin in the 3^rd qualifying round. A 5-0 victory in the first leg in Belgium was followed by a 2-1 defeat in the return leg in Poland but the 3-3 aggregate win saw Gent reach the Playoffs. A 2-0 victory over Apoel Nicosia at home and a 2-1 victory in Cyprus sealed Gent’s passage to the group stage with a 4-1 aggregate win. But the winning streak in the competition ended with a 1-1 draw on MD1 against Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk.

Hugo Cuypers gave Gent a 67^th minute lead but former Maccabi Panamanian forward Eduardo Guerrero leveled the score three minutes later to ensure the points are shared.

The domestic campaign in Belgium began in July as Gent are unbeaten from their opening 9 league matches. Gent that won 5 and drawn 4 have 19 points and are trailing league leaders Union Saint-Gilloise on goal difference only. After an impressive start, Gent suffered a dip in form which saw them draw 3 of their last for league matches and 4 of the last five in all competitions.

Gent host Maccabi at the Ghelamco Arena which was opened in 2013 and has a capacity of 20,000 fans.

The Belgians are coached 59-year-old Hein Vanhaezebrouck who has been in charge since 2020 for what is his second tenure at the club.

Under Vanhaezebrouck, Maccabi expect to face an opponent that plays mostly with three central defenders and two forwards.

Former Maccabi Netanya defender Omri Gandelman who joined Gent in the summer is the player known most, but the Belgian’s leading player is 21-year-old Nigerian striker Gift Orban.

Cuypers, who was on target for Gent against Zorya is set to miss the match through injury and in his absence Vanhaezebrouck could field alongside Orban Moroccan forward Tarik Tissoudali. Germany’s U21 international, Jordan Torunarigha, is Gent’s leading defender and is set to be partnered at the heart of defense by Japan’s Tsuyoshi Watanabe and Marocco’s Islael Kandouss.

Leading the group thanks to the victory over Breidablik on MD1, Maccabi’s Head Coach, Robbie Keane, was adamant that KAA Gent who are currently second in the Belgian league will be the toughest opponent his side will face since he took over in the summer.

 

“We watched them a lot and obviously know their strengths and weaknesses like every team has. Its a very tough game, the biggest test for the players since I have been here. Gent is a really good and strong team, clearly they would be the favorites as you could imagine because of the league they are in, the budget they have and the money they spent 12M in the summer on transfers and 26M as a budget in wages. It is bigger that us obviously, but that does not mean that we are not going to be here to sit back and let them dominate the game. No, no.”

At the same time, Keane insisted his side will come and try return from Gent with 3 points: “We have to come here and believe that we can win the game. As a manager that is what we have demanding all season from them – to believe in themselves that no matter what game they go into that they always have a chance”.

Maccabi’s European journey in the Conference League Group stage continues as the team flew out this morning (Wednesday) to Belgium ahead of tomorrow’s MD2 Grpup stage match away to Gent.

The team arrived at Ben Gurion Airport this morning before flying out to Ostend, Belgium. Robbie Keane’s side will aim to build on the 3-2 victory over Breidablik on MD1 as they face a tough test against the Belgians who were held to a 1-1 by Ukrainian outfit Zorya Luhansk.

Maccabi Tel Aviv arrived at EuroDrive’s flagship display room this morning (Monday) at Glilot for a special sales event which marked another year of partnership between the club and Israel’s leading car leasing company.

Yellow, Blue, White now make space in your wardrobe for the Light Blue as well. Maccabi together with fashion and sportswear powerhouse FILA, teamed-up once again to bring you the new fourth kit which will accompany us during the 2023/24 season.

For the third season in succession the club launched a fourth strip that gives you once again the chance to enjoy a Maccabi shirt with a refreshing new ground-breaking design.

If you missed the activity on our social media platforms, let us tell you that hundreds of FOREVER members were surprisingly the first to be exposed to the new kit at an exclusive event that took place at Bloomfield stadium.

This season’s fourth kit takes inspiration from the Club’s famous old crest – incorporating different elements of the badge throughout the ‘half-and-half’ design.

On the new shirt one could also find the current Maccabi crest in dark blue that prominently features on the shirt and embedded for the first time.

Additional features also include:

A FIT design, a stylish V neckline, short sleeve, and a 100% polyester fabric that wicks away the sweat providing excellent breathability. The club crest made of silicone as well as the stars woven onto the shirt.

A badge signifying the originality of the 2023/24 kit.

As of Sunday, the new kit is already waiting for you at the official online store and our official store at Bloomfield stadium.

Now for the important details: The fourth kit is already waiting for you at Maccabi OFFICIAL ONLINE STORE as well as the flagship store at Bloomfield.

Nir Bitton, who marshalled Maccabi’s defense and helped the side to another clean-sheet and a 2-0 victory over newly promoted side Hapoel Petah Tikva, faced the media at the end of the match and said: “We knew it will be a tough match, that Hapoel Petah Tikva will make it difficult for us and that we will work hard to win here. I am delighted we won. People are expecting us to dance on the pitch and crush any opponent that comes here to Bloomfield, but this league is extremely difficult. Teams know how to defend and play which was evident today. It was an extremely tough match and I am delighted we won”.

The former Celtic defender who played in numerous old firm derbies during his 9-year-long tenure in Glasgow, reflected on last week’s Tel Aviv derby: “Every match is different, during the derby the match developed in our favor. Today was a totally different match, very tight” the 31-year-old said. “Had Eran scored his penalty in the first half the match would have evolved differently. There are matches like that but the most important thing is that we won and collected the three points”.

On Zahavi’s three attempts from the penalty spot, Bitton revealed his position: “Let me say that I would never have taken a penalty for the third time. I looked back and didn’t even want to see it. I told myself that if Eran misses a penalty for the third time then we are heading for a long night. I am glad he managed to keep his calm and it went in. Eran is Eran and I am just delighted we won the match”.

Eran Zahavi scored a goal, added an assist and helped Maccabi to a 2-0 victory over Hapoel Petah Tikva at Bloomfield to remain top of the ONE ZERO League table.

Zahavi, who had two penalties saved by Petah Tikva’s keeper Omer Katz, but was given a chance to redeem himself as he successfully converted the second penalty which was retaken, said after the match: “To be honest, I don’t know if something like that has ever happened to me, but sometimes these things do happen. He (Katz) saved the first penalty and deserves all the credit for it. For the second penalty I decided to shoot to the middle, and he waited for it. I don’t know whether someone had tipped him off, but he still deserves credit for it. To his misfortune though the spot kick was re-taken and I was sharper so the most important thing was that I scored it.

On the team’s over all performance, Zahavi added: “We were not that bad in terms of our form, but it is difficult to play against a side that has 10 field players behind the ball. WE struggled today, our game did not flow but one needs to know how to win matches like that. We will not dance on the pitch in every game and I am saying this so that you shouldn’t expect this every time. It was however very important to show character and desire which is exactly what we did.”