Dan Glazer, who missed Sunday’s league defeat at Be’ersheva as he served a one-match-touchline-ban was asked about Maccabi’s ability in a game he was a spectator, said: “There is no doubt that we didn’t have a good game and we spoke about it after the match. We didn’t show up but the best thing about football is that one can always correct things. Tomorrow we have an important match, we will have to show much better football and correct the impression from the previous game”.

The 25-year-old added: “Be’ersheva played better, they also didn’t have the best of games” he added: “We analysed the game, the coach explained to us what worked and what didn’t. The aggressiveness, the attitude and the energies are things we should bring in 200 percent. This is what wins big matches – aggressiveness and attitude, so hopefully we will do it tomorrow”.

1991/92: Maccabi Tel Aviv 4:2 Maccabi Haifa
Let’s open up with a game that may not have gone down as one of the most famous semifinals in history but it was one of the best of the 1990’s. 6 goals, Maccabi Haifa and 90 minutes of crazy football. Watch:

Continue to the next great moment

Preview

Maccabi travelled to Turner stadium for the league match against Hapoel Be’ersheva on the back of last week’s disappointing injury-time equaliser that ended all championship aspirations. Three days before both sides meet at Bloomfield stadium for the State Cup Semi Final, Maccabi that are three points behind Be’ersheva in the table have still plenty to play for. Mladen Krstajic made three changes from the side that was held to a 1-1 by Maccabi Haifa as suspensions and injuries forced the Serbian coach to shuffle his starting line-up.

Josue Sa kept his place alongside Enric Saborit as the two central defenders in-front of goalkeeper, Daniel Peretz, with Shahar Piven and Ofir Davidzada completing the back-four on the right and left respectively.

With Dan Glazer serving a one-match-touchline-ban, veteran skipper Sheran Yeini led the team with the captain’s armband at the anchor-man role. Having suffered a shoulder injury against Haifa last week, Gabi Kanichowsky, was left out of the squad in order to give him some time to recover. After celebrating his senior league debut with a goal against Haifa, Oscar Gloukh, lined-up alongside Yeini at the heart of midfield. Matan Hozez and Tal Ben Chaim were named as the two wide men in a four-man midfield with Djordje Jovanovic and Stipe Perica spearheading Maccabi’s attack.

Daniel Tenenbaum, Matan Baltaxa, Idan Nachmias, Brandley Kuwas, Eden Shamir, Avi Rikan, Eyal Golasa, Andre Geraldes and Eylon Almog were named on the substitutes bench waiting for a chance to make an impact.

First Half

In front of an almost packed Turner stadium, the hosts were the dominant side in the opening stages of the game putting pressure on Maccabi’s defence. Shahar Piven, starting at right-back was the first player to be booked by referee David Fuxman following a foul in the 11^th minute on Be’ersheva’s Rotem Hatuel.

With Matan Hozez on the right and Tal Ben Chaim on the left Maccabi looked lively down the wings and tried supplying ammunition for Stipe Perica and Djordje Jovanovic upfront. In the 17th minute Hozez charged past Mariano Bariero who tugged his shirt and was consequently booked as well. In the 22nd minute, a long Piven ball over the top of Be’ersheva’s defence released Jovanovic but goalkeeper Omri Glazer charged out of his area and cleared the danger before the Serbian forward could have a shot on goal.

A minute later at the opposite end Be’ersheva charged for a counter attack that left Danilo Asprilla clear inside the area. But a last gasp Enric Saborit tackle denied the Colombian forward whose effort went high and wide. In the 26th minute however the hosts took the lead from a Helder Lopez cross that appeared to have deflected off Piven to beat Daniel Peretz at the far post.

In the 39th minute Peretz was at full stretch to push out a Roei Gordana dangerous drive before Piven cleared the rebound. Within a minute Peretz was at it again as his good positioning on his goal-line helped him catch Asprilla’s close range header.

Fuxman’s halftime whistle sent both teams into the dressing room, but for Mladen Krstajic the interval couldn’t have come any faster as it was clear that Maccabi’s Serbian coach will need to make some changes.

Second Half

Krstajic made no less than three changes at the restart as Avi Rikan replaced Piven, Matan Baltaxa came in for Ofir Davidzada while Eden Shamir replaced Sheran Yeini. The changes in personnel were not the only ones Krstajic made as he reverted to a 3-5-2 formation with Baltaxa joining Saborit and Josue Sa at the back while Hozez and Ben Chaim switched to wing-back roles on the left and right respectively.

Good work by Hozez down the flank in the 55^th minute gifted Perica the ball on the edge of the area only for the Croatian striker to waste the chance as he shot over. Perica was booked for a foul on Gordana in the 59th minute as that was his final contribution before being replaced moments later by Brandley Kuwas.

In the 71^st minute Idan Nachmias replaced Sa who limped off with an injury as Krstajic made his fifth and final change. Jovanovic snapped a shot in the 78th minute which was caught by Glazer while Rikan sent a powerful effort from the corner of the area that shaved the crossbar and landed on the roof of the net two minutes later.

In the 85th minute Oscar Gloukh released Hozez into the penalty area before the winger’s shot was blocked by Glazer. After the fourth official signalled four minutes of added time Maccabi were awarded two corners as Peretz even came up for one of them only to head over the bar as it was clearly not Maccabi’s night.
The defeat, the 6^th of the season and first since January, kept them on 56 points from 30 matches – six behind Be’ersheva and 13 from the top.  

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Sunday’s league match will be the 140^th encounter between the two sides in all competitions of which Maccabi won 71 lost 30 while 38 matches were drawn. The total goal tally is 204-114 in Maccabi’s favor.

Maccabi played 59 league matches away to Be’ersheva winning 22 and losing 18.

Of the 26 clubs that played more than five matches against Be’ersheva, Maccabi is the only club in the league with a positive record.

Three days after playing Be’ersheva at Turner stadium in the league, Maccabi face the Southerners at Bloomfield stadium for the Semi Final of the State Cup. This will be the 10^th time that Maccabi faces the same opponent in the League and Cup in the space of three days.

In two of those nine fixtures, the State Cup tie was a Semi Final.

In 1974 the return leg of Maccabi’s Semi Final Cup tie against Hapoel Haifa ended in a 0-0 draw. Maccabi were eliminated on aggregate after the first leg ended in a 1-0 Haifa victory.

In 2005 Maccabi beat Maccabi Petah Tikva 2-1 in the Semi Final on the way to winning the Cup that year.

Three members of Maccabi’s current squad: Ofir Davidzada, Dan Biton and Eden Shamir played for Hapoel Be’ersheva in the past.

Hapoel Be’ersheva have 4 former Maccabi players in their squad: Sagiv Yehezkel, Eitan Tibi, Dor Micha, Etey Shechter while Hatem El Hamid played for Maccabi at U19’s level.