Maccabi Tel Aviv has reached an agreement for Kervin Andrade to join Brazilian side Sport Club do Recife on loan for the 2026/27 season.

The 21-year-old Venezuelan midfielder joined Maccabi from Brazilian side Fortaleza Esporte Clube in August 2025. He made 38 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and helping Maccabi lift the State Cup.

Andrade also made eight appearances during Maccabi’s Europa League campaigns last season and this season.

Maccabi wishes Kervin success during his loan spell with Sport Recife.

Good luck, Kervin.

Preview:

Six weeks after the 3-1 Super Cup victory, Maccabi returned to Turner stadium for the MD3 WINNER League match against Hapoel Be’ersheva. Kenny Miller’s State Cup holders that beat Be’ersheva in the Cup Final on the final day of the 25/26 campaign, returned to the venue where they conceded the league title back in May.

Miller who guided Maccabi to a 100% record of two victories from the opening two league matches will aim to continue his streak. Ofek Melika who missed last week’s victory over Maccabi Haifa following his dismissal against Hapoel Jerusalem, was back in goal after serving his one-match touchline ban.

Ali Camara and Raz Shlomo kept their places as the two central defenders at in front of Melika. New signing James Tavernier made his Maccabi debut at right-back while the departure of Roy Revivo to Spanish club Elche meant that Noam Ben Harosh completed the defense at left back. Issouf Sissokho continued in the anchorman role but he was joined in the engine by Gabi Kanichowsky who was making his first appearance since returning to the club after a year in Hungary with Ferencvaros. Dor Peretz led the team out wearing the captain’s armband as the 31-year-old who scored five league goals and nine in all competitions will aim to continue his run of good form. Osher Davida who was the only player besides Peretz to score against Haifa, started on the wing with Helio Varela on the opposite flank. Ester Sokler led the line as the 27-year-old Slovenian striker who scored a goal in Europe, will seek to open his domestic account.

On the bench alongside goalkeeper Roi Mishpati, Miller named Tyrese Asante, Dan Glazer, Elad Madmon, Itamar Noy, Hisham Layous, Ido Shahar and Itai Ben Hamo.

First half:

Maccabi couldn’t have wished for a better start as they took the lead with less than a minute on the clock. A long ball out of defence was flicked on by Ester Sokler into the path of Osher Davida, who raced clear before squaring the ball back towards Sokler. The Slovenian striker cleverly let the ball run allowing it to reach Helio Varela. The Cape Verde winger didn’t need a touch to control the ball before blasting a right-footed thunderbolt that rocketed into the top corner to the delight of Maccabi’s travelling fans. Be’ersheva were forced to make an early change as Lucas Ventura limped off before being replaced by Zahi Ahmed. Issouf Sissokho and Gabi Kanichowsky dominated the midfield placing the hosts under pressure and forcing Be’ersheva’s players to make mistakes. This pressure gifted Dor Peretz the ball inside the box but Maccabi’s captain sent his half volley over the crossbar. In the 13th minute Maccabi had the ball in the back of the net for the second time as Kanichowsky’s clever through ball reached Ester Sokler who flicked it in past Ofir Marciano but the referee assistant raised his flag for offside denying the Slovenian his debut league goal.

A minute after the half-hour mark, a lethal Maccabi counter-attack saw Kanichowsk receive the ball inside the center circle. The 29-year-old midfielder released Sokler with a perfectly weighted through ball. Sokler raced clear through on goal, skipped past Marciano and was tripped by the keeper. The ball reached Peretz who followed up to drill the loose ball home but referee Yigal Frid, blew his whistle and for pointed to the spot. Sokler stepped up, kept his calm and buried the penalty in the bottom corner to double Maccabi’s lead with his debut league goal.

In the 44th minute Davida tried his luck with an effort from outside the box which sailed over the crossbar. Be’ersheva’s Eliel Peretz was booked by Frid for dissent and seconds later was shown a red card leaving his team with 10 men for the remainder of the match. Maccabi almost exploited the numerical advantage as a Kanichowsky cross was hooked away from the goalmouth before Sokler could nod the ball home. Inside injury time however Maccabi’s defense was caught napping as Pedro Amador skipped over the ball leaving it for Amir Ganah who curled a low shot beyond the reach of Ofek Melika to cut the deficit and bring Be’ersheva back into the game.

Second half:

Maccabi started the second half just as they had the first, with Davida looking dangerous down the right. A minute after the restart David cut inside before firing a shot that failed to trouble Marciano, who collected comfortably.

At the opposite end, Melika punched away an Ahmed effort to clear the danger. Minutes later, Raz Shlomo picked up the ball in the centre of the park, chested it down and drove forward before trying his luck with a rare shot from distance, but his effort sailed wide of the post. In the 59th minute Varela skipped past two Be’ersheva players and cut inside teeing up Sissokho whose powerful drive cleared the crossbar. A minute later James Tavernier carved Be’ersheva’s defense open with a perfect through ball to Davida whose square ball reached Varela. The skipped past Ahmed who tripped him as Frid awarded Maccabi another penalty. This time it was Peretz who stepped up to take the spot kick but Maccabi’s captain was denied by a Marciano save. Four minutes after the hour mark, Maccabi continued to press forward with Varela dancing inside the box only to be denied by Amador’s clearance off his line.

In the 67th minute nothing could deny Maccabi from extending their lead. Varela once again was the instigator as his perfectly timed square ball allowed Sokler to sweep the ball home and score his second of the game. Sokler and Tavernier walked off to a standing ovation from the traveling fans as they were both replaced by Elad Madmon and Tyrese Asante in the 69th minute. 

In the 79th minute Kanichowsky and Davida combined once again as the winger was sent racing down the right flank. Davida had his initial shot saved by Marciano who also managed to palm the rebound as well, but Peretz slotted the ball home to make it 4-1 with his sixth league goal this season. Peretz and Sissokho bowed out to a standing ovation as Miller introduced Ido Shahar and Dan Glazer for the closing stages shortly before Ilay Ben Simon replaced Davida. Shahar came close to score the fifth as he headed Varela’s cross but Marciano managed to save. Ben Simon had a chance inside injury time but Marciano managed to save as Frid’s full time whistle ended the contest as attention now turns to next week’s Tel Aviv derby.

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC completed the signing of James Tavernier, as the 34-year-old right-back and former Rangers captain joining the club on a 1-year deal, with an option to extend by a further season.

Tavernier arrives at Maccabi after 11 seasons at Rangers, where he made 565 appearances in all competitions, scoring 144 goals and providing 148 assists. In his final season at Ibrox (25/26), he made 52 appearances, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists.

After successfully completing his medical and signing his contract, Tavernier, who will wear the number 2 at Maccabi told the official website: “It’s a real honour to join a club with such a rich history as Maccabi Tel Aviv. Coming to a new country and experiencing a different environment is something I’ve always wanted to do in my career, so there’s a real excitement about the opportunity and the challenge ahead. I’ve heard a lot about the club from Kenny Miller, especially the ambitions, the desire to compete for trophies and, of course, the Maccabi fans and the atmosphere they create. Having played for a big club for so many years, I know how important the fans are and how much they can drive a team on. Maccabi is a club that wants to win and compete for trophies, and that’s exactly what you want as a player. The aim is to give everything for the club, and I can’t wait to get started.”

A product of the Leeds and Newcastle’s youth academies, Tavernier joined Rangers from Wigan Athletic in 2015. He was appointed club captain in 2018 and went on to lead Rangers to three trophies in Scotland, winning the Championship (20/21), the Scottish Cup (21/22) and the League Cup (23/24).

Tavernier also developed a notable goalscoring record from right-back, scoring at least 15 goals in five of his 10 most recent seasons with Rangers. His 21/22 campaign was particularly productive, as he scored seven goals in the Europa League to finish as the competition’s top scorer and helped Rangers reach the final, where they were beaten by Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties.

His 21 goals in European competitions for Rangers saw him equal the club record held by Ally McCoist, while his 152 career goals make him the highest-scoring defender in British football history.

Tavernier will now continue his career at Maccabi, where he will reunite with Head Coach Kenny Miller. The pair worked together at Rangers before Miller took charge at Maccabi.

Good luck Tav.

Anis Porat rejoins Hapoel Haifa after an agreement was reached between the two clubs for a season-long loan deal of the 21-year-old winger.

Porat returns to Hapoel Haifa where he played during last season and the second part of the 2024/25 campaign and scored 2 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions. The winger who joined Maccabi from Bnei Sakhnin in January 2025, represented the Israel U21 squad for which he made 3 appearances and has also 7 appearances and 2 goals for the U19’s young national side.

Porat will continue his development in the 2026/27 season with Hapoel Haifa.

Good luck Anis.

Maccabi Tel Aviv travel to Turner stadium on Monday for the second time this season ahead of the WINNER League MD3 match against Hapoel Be’ersheva. After beating Be’ersheva 3-1 at their home back in July to win the Super Cup, and having recorded a 2-1 State Cup victory on the final day of last season, the two sides will meet in the league for the first time. Gabi Kanichowsky, returned to Maccabi last week after a season with Ferencváros where he won the Hungarian Cup, could find himself in the squad for the clash he is more than familiar with.

During his previous 4-year-spell at Maccabi, Kanichowsky won 5 trophies and could be making his 195^th appearance for the club on his return. “I really missed it,” Kanichowsky said. “Being involved in something meaningful, giving back to the country and our fans, and helping people. In that respect, I’m very happy to be back, especially with the holidays coming up. I really missed this atmosphere and the natural feeling of being here, so yes – it’s always a great feeling to give back.”

Kanichowsky also shared details about the rapid negotiations that led to his return: “Only two days before I signed, I knew it was going to happen. There was a lot of talk and plenty of rumors, but it was only two days before I signed that things were concretely finalized with the club. I’m very happy. They say it’s nice to leave home, but it’s even nicer to come back home, to a place where you feel most comfortable, in this incredible atmosphere and with the love I received from the very first moment. This isn’t the first time I’ve returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv, so for me it’s a really good and especially enjoyable full-circle moment.”

Kanichowsky also reflected on his time in Hungary and the reasons behind his quick comeback: “Everyone knew that my ambition was to go abroad. I managed to do that last year, and personally it was certainly not a disappointing year for me. Everything went as I had planned, but things simply didn’t work out financially at the club I was at. There were a lot of problems there and they wanted to move on from several players in order to raise money. The moment Maccabi approached me and showed me their project – that they want to move forward and achieve even more than they have in recent years – it was very difficult for me to say no, and I’m very happy about this opportunity.”

Kanichowsky received a hero’s welcome on Friday as he walked in, fresh after training to the ‘Lago’ events hall in Rishon Lezion and began helping the fans pack food parcels ahead of Rosh Hashana.

On Monday, Kanichowsky is set to meet them once again at Turner, as he didn’t hide his excitement: “It’s only been a year, but it felt like an eternity. I’m very excited to see the people who embraced me so much, supported me and gave me so much, even during the challenging moments I’ve gone through in recent years. I’m just waiting to repay them on the pitch. The game isn’t at home, but every game in Israel with our away support feels completely like a home game.”

Looking ahead to the coming season and the task of winning the championship, Kanichowsky reflected on the departures of two fellow teammates in Roy Revivo and Saied Abu Farchi: “I wish them all the very best. They made some good moves and they deserve it.”

A product of Maccabi’s Youth Academy, Kanichowsky is aware of what it takes to put on the Yellow-and-Blue shirt: “At the same time, at Maccabi, it doesn’t matter which players are on the pitch, the DNA has to be there. The mentality and desire to win every game are the foundation. We need to bring back the club’s DNA and restore the strong mentality that we have shown here in recent years.”

Kanichowsky will renew his partnership with fellow midfielder Dor Peretz who began the season where he left off last season, scoring 5 goals in the opening two matches: “Dor is Dor, there really isn’t anything more to add about the guy. What he has done in recent years is above and beyond what anyone could expect. It’s a great privilege to play alongside him when he is the captain of Maccabi Tel Aviv. He is leading this club to a very good and healthy place, and beyond the goals he scores, everything else he contributes makes him a role model.”

On the possibility of playing already on Monday, Kanichowsky concluded: “I learned a lot about myself from my experience abroad. Even though it was only one year, when you’re there on your own, you experience things, deal with things and realize that they approach certain things a little differently. Here in Israel, football is very much a pressure cooker, which on the one hand is a great thing, but on the other, people need to remember that at the end of the day, it’s football. I feel that my mentality has changed somewhat, and I hope to bring that onto the pitch, but I know I need to prove myself here all over again. As for Monday’s game, I feel completely fit and I’m training fully, but ultimately those are the coach’s decisions and he will decide what he believes is right for the game and the squad.”

Maccabi’s Head Coach Kenny Miller, his entire coaching staff and several first team players attended the ‘Good deeds in Yellow’ event and joined the fans and packing food parcels for people in need. The biannual event which takes place for the 14th year was held at ‘Lago’ in Rishon Lezion, led by the Maccabi Foundation and fans’ organisation ‘Ahim Lasemel’ as NIS 825,000 raised donations were converted into food parcels ahead of the Jewish new year.