The rivalry between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa is always a mouthwatering fixture and is one of the highlights of any Israeli season. The upcoming match on Wednesday will be the 162nd time that the two teams have met and the current record stands at 66 wins for Maccabi Tel Aviv, 47 draws, and 48 wins for Haifa. The goal difference is 232-201.

In the last five home encounters against Haifa, Maccabi have not conceded a goal, which is a record between the two clubs.

However, Maccabi’s overall record for keeping a clean sheet at home against all opponents stands at seven and has been achieved three times: Against Hapoel Haifa, set in 1958, Hapoel Tel Aviv, set in 1994 and Rishon Letzion, set in 1996.

Maccabi’s playoff record against Haifa

This is the 17th season in which a playoff phase has followed two full regular phases of home and away fixtures against all Premier League opponents and it is a 15th season for both tomorrow’s opponents in the upper playoff section, the most among Israeli teams.

This is also the third time in which both clubs have ended the regular season as the top two clubs and on all three occasions Maccabi have finished ahead of Haifa.

The two outfits have met 19 times in the playoff phase, Maccabi have won nine times, six have been draws and they have lost four.

Under the current league format with 14 clubs begun in 2012-13 with the top six in the upper playoff and the other eight in the lower playoff, Maccabi’s record is six wins and six draws and they have a goal difference of 21-7.

The biggest margin of victory in a playoff fixture between the two clubs was the 6-0 result in 2015-16.

Last season, the first playoff fixture between the two rivals ended as a 1-0 win and it, together with other results on the night, confirmed the championship for Vladimir Ivic’s men.

This season’s showings

Maccabi have headed the standings since the eighth round of the league and Haifa have been in second place for the same period. In the two results so far between the rivals, Maccabi have won 1-0 and 4-3.

On the eve of the third meeting, Maccabi lead the standings by nine points, the biggest margin this season, but Haifa have scored 59 goals, compared to Maccabi’s 50. On the other hand, Maccabi have conceded only seven goals, compared to Haifa’s 22.

“Matches of the Season” against Maccabi Haifa have always produced thrilling encounters, and just before yet another much-anticipated clash at Bloomfield, we look back at previous clashes that have had a crucial bearing on the title outcome.

Season 2002-03, Round 25: Maccabi Tel Aviv 2, Maccabi Haifa 0

It was one of the most dramatic and closely-contested league battles as the yellow of Maccabi fought it out against the green of Haifa and the red of Hapoel Tel Aviv. With eight rounds to go, Maccabi faced Haifa, who came to a packed Ramat Gan stadium as league leaders. Maccabi were in third place, but the outcome of that encounter spurred them forward to the title.

Season 1995-96, Round 26: Maccabi Haifa 1, Maccabi Tel Aviv 3

This was one of Maccabi’s most memorable matches against Haifa, who were in their prime in the mid-1990s. The greens had won the title in 1993-94 and were looking to regain the crown after Maccabi deposed them next season. Maccabi went into the match at Kiryat Eliezer with a three-point lead in the standings knowing that a loss could cost them the title as Haifa, who had a superior goal difference, would go top.

The match was tempestuous and thrilling but Maccabi held their nerve and won 3-1 to open a six-point gap and at such a late stage, the title was theirs for the taking and they topped it off by winning the double.

Season 2019-20, Round 17: Maccabi Haifa 3, Maccabi Tel Aviv 4

Memories are still fresh from this match, the last time the two clubs met, and it will no doubt linger long in the memory with Maccabi fans will tell future generations about the crazy night at Sammy Ofer Stadium in February when Yonatan Cohen emerged as the hero after a rollercoaster of a match. You have surely watched the highlights many times, but here is another chance to whet the appetite ahead of another exciting evening tonight.

Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Dan Glazer spoke ahead of the clash against Maccabi Haifa in the second game of the TASE Premier League playoff phase and said he was pleased with his performance in the first game on Saturday against Hapoel Haifa, and hoped he could improve further for Wednesday’s match (kickoff 20:45 at Bloomfield).

Glazer said the team were ready to take on their closest rivals in the division, and while the last game, a thrilling last-gasp 4-3 win in Haifa, was a game he had watched at least twice, it was no longer on his mind.

“We are not looking at the goal difference, or past results or the future, we are only looking ahead to the next game. The coaching crew, as always, are preparing us for the game in the best possible way and they are keeping us focused and are proposing options according to what may transpire during play.

“Maccabi Haifa are an excellent team and they have been on our tails all season. I expect a tough game tomorrow. I am sure we will do what we need to in order to prevail,” Glazer said.

June is usually a month when teams can take a well-earned break and start to think about building for another campaign, but due to the extraordinary circumstances this year, as the weather begins to heat up, so will the action. There is no time to waste as one of the most important fixtures is upon us when second-placed Maccabi Haifa come calling on Wednesday.

These are the upcoming events in the coming month:

June 3: Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Maccabi Haifa, Bloomfield, 20:45

Vladimir Ivic’s charges have built up a nine-point lead as they go into this match against our closest rivals for the title and the intriguing fixture at Bloomfield will no doubt conjure up memories of the great thrills that were produced in February, the last time the two teams met, when the boys in yellow returned from Sammy Ofer Stadium with a 4-3 away win.

June 8, Beitar Jerusalem v. Maccabi Tel Aviv, Teddy Stadium, 20:45

Five days after hosting Maccabi Haifa, it will be the turn of Beitar Jerusalem, the team currently in third place in the standings, to have a crack at producing another classic encounter. Maccabi’s last visit to Jerusalem is not one Beitar will want to recall in a hurry, after they lost 4-0, although they did manage to hold us to a goalless draw in a radius match at Sammy Ofer Stadium this season.

June 15: Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Hapoel Beersheba, Bloomfield, 20:45

We head back home to Bloomfield for the next fixture against Hapoel Beersheba in the first of the two encounters against the southerners. The last meeting between the sides produced a draw at Turner Stadium but Maccabi are looking to maintain a positive record against Beersheba.

June 20: Hapoel Tel Aviv v. Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bloomfield, TBA

The first of the two Derbies in the playoff phase will also be the final fixture of the first encounters against the other top five teams in the upper half of the standings. Maccabi have already secured wins in both their previous Derby fixtures this season and will not want to let that record slip. It will be the first of four matches in the space of 10 days for Maccabi.

June 23: Hapoel Haifa v. Maccabi Tel Aviv, Sammy Ofer, TBA

The second half of the playoff phase begins with a trip to Haifa, where the two clubs shared the points in a 1-1 draw the last time they met there.

June 27: Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Hapoel Tel Aviv, Bloomfield, TBA

Just a week after the previous Derby it will be our turn to host the big Bloomfield fixture, the last of the four meetings between the two clubs this season.

June 30: Maccabi Tel Aviv v. Beitar Jerusalem, Bloomfield, TBA

This will be the last home fixture for Maccabi at Bloomfield for the season after which the season will be wrapped up in early July with matches away from the club’s new fortress.

Maccabi Tel Aviv returned to action on Saturday and continued from where they left off at the end of February with another solid performance in the 2-0 win over Hapoel Haifa as the playoff phase of the league got underway at Bloomfield.

Clean sheet record

Maccabi have already written several records this season and Saturday’s showing provided more data for the statisticians, as goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum and his teammates kept a 22nd clean sheet, the most ever for a club in a single season. It is one more than the old mark which was shared by Maccabi (set last season) and by Kiryat Shmona in 2012.

The new record is even more remarkable, having been achieved after only 27 matches, and with nine more to go, there is scope to increase the mark significantly.

Saturday’s result was the fourth consecutive clean sheet. The last time coach Vladimir Ivic’s team conceded a goal was in the 1-1 draw with Hapoel Haifa at Sammy Ofer Stadium on February 8.

Biggest lead from second place

Following Saturday’s other upper playoff results in which second-placed Maccabi Haifa lost 2-1 at home to Hapoel Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Beersheba drew 1-1, Maccabi have increased their lead at the top of the standings to nine-points. Maccabi Haifa have looked to be the only other realistic challengers for the title but with the gap at its biggest so far and only nine matches to go, the defending champions look well placed to retain their crown.

Maccabi’s free kicks

Matan Hozez, who was voted the “Factory 54 Man of the Match,” scored the opening goal of Saturday’s fixture. It was his first strike of the season. The goal came from a free kick in which he curled a left-footed shot from just outside the area around the Haifa wall and into the back of the net.

Maccabi have scored five times from direct free kicks this season, half the total number of such goals scored in the league in this campaign. The other five goals from direct free kicks have been shared evenly by five clubs.

For Maccabi, those five set-piece goals in one season also equals a club record set in 1983-84 and with nine matches to go, this is another record that could well fall.

Maccabi’s second goal was scored by Itay Shechter who has increased his season’s league tally to five. He took advantage of Enric Saborit’s assist, which was a third for the Spaniard this season.

Another landmark of note on Saturday was the return of Dor Peretz, who came on as substitute in the second half. The midfielder had been sidelined due to injury, he last played in the match against Hapoel Hadera in October.

Maccabi Tel Aviv returned from the enforced three-month coronavirus break on Saturday at Bloomfield and secured a 2-0 win over Hapoel Haifa in the first round of the third, playoff phase of the TASE Premier League and striker Itay Shechter looked particularly sharp on the night as he scored the second goal.

But before thinking of the football, Shechter spoke of teammate Eitan Tibi, who has recently lost his father.

“I want to convey the entire team’s condolences to the Tibi family. Eitan, we love you and this win is dedicated to you,” Shechter said.

He added that the players had greatly the action and were so happy to be back.

“We have been longing for this moment, we love our game and it’s clear that things will be different when we have a crowd that can share our joy in victory. We knew this would be tough, but we have to get on with things.” 

Shechter said it was difficult to make the transition from quarantine to playing once again but he credited the team setup for facilitating the move.

“Maccabi are a super professional team that had the means to devise training for the players during the lockdown. We were ready even before the restart, and although we are not where we want to be at this time, for a first game, we looked good.”

He also said that the strict rules the players must follow would be adhered to and that although it is very hard to go straight back home after the win, they would do so without batting an eyelid.

Maccabi Tel Aviv resumed play in the TASE Premier League on Saturday at Bloomfield with another win, this time in the first round of the TASE Premier League playoff phase. It was an important 2-0 victory over Hapoel Haifa and Matan Hozez, who scored the first goal, was your choice as the Factory 54 Man of the Match, receiving over 80 percent of votes cast. One participant in the ballot will receive a prize from Boss.