Category: News

You Voted Dor Micha HISENSE January Player of the Month

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After receiving wall to wall compliments this past month for his fine play, Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Dor Micha was voted by the Maccabi FIRST members as the HISENSE January Player of the Month. Rounding out the Top 3 were Chico Ofoedu and Predrag Rajkovic who also received plenty of votes.

Did you vote for Micha? Now’s the part that you’re all waiting for!
Today, Sunday February 3, 2019 at 17:00 israel Time you’ll receive an SMS with a trivia question. Whoever answers the question first correctly will win a HISENSE 32” TV. Don’t miss out!

Maccabi’s upcoming challenges: What’s in store this coming month?

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February 3: Maccabi Tel Aviv – Hapoel Haifa, 20:30 Netanya
The first test of the month is tonight against the Carmel Reds at home as they’ll look to keep up their record breaking pace. Do you want to be part of history? Purchase your tickets now!

In the video: Get to know Enric Saborit

ראיון מיוחד עם אנריק סבוריט


February 6: Bnei Sakhnin – Maccabi Tel Aviv, 21:00 Acre (State Cup)
Maccabi will meet Sakhnin no less than three times this month with two encounters coming within five days. The first contest will be the first leg of the State Cup quarterfinals and due to a radius decree the match will be played in Acre.

February 11: Bnei Sakhnin – Maccabi Tel Aviv, 20:30
Just five be days after the Cup match between the two, Maccabi will travel up to Doha Stadium for a league clash against Sakhnin with no fans due to the penalties levied against the local club.

February 16: Maccabi Tel Aviv – Kiryat Shemona, 20:30 Netanya
Matchday 23 sets up a date with Kiryat Shemona as the northern squad visits the Netanya Stadium. The last time the two met, the Yellow & Blue took home a 2:1 win thanks to an Omer Atzili brace.

February 23: Maccabi Tel Aviv – Maccabi Petah Tikva, 16:00 Netanya
The next league match will also be a home date, this time on Saturday afternoon which will be perfect for the family to enjoy plenty of football fun.

February 26: Maccabi Tel Aviv – Bnei Sakhnin, 20:45 Netanya (State Cup)
Maccabi will end the month with the return leg of the State Cup for a ticket to the semifinals of the competition.

That’s not all!
Over the course of the month a great sale will take place that will include a 1 + 1 on the entire Maccabi Winter Collection! You can already take advantage of the sale tonight at the stadium and tomorrow, February 4th via the Online Shop and the Official Team Stores. Don’t miss out!

Know your opponent: Hapoel Haifa

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The second best attack in the league

Hapoel Haifa has 37 goals so far this season – the most in the Israel Premier League Ligat Japanika other than Maccabi Tel Aviv who have 47. According to the statistics Maccabi should pay close attention to the end of the first half. Sharon Mimer’s team has scored 7 goals between minutes 30-45 which is second most to Maccabi who have 11. That’s 19% of their total goals this season.

Another interesting statistic is how Haifa builds their attack. Maccabi leads the league scoring after 41.9 seconds from the start of an attack while Haifa is second with 24.3 seconds. Beitar Jerusalem is at 22.5 secs, Beer Sheva 20.6 and Bnei Yehuda 17.3.

Even though they are in second they find themselves in 9th place in ball possession at 49% on average per match.

Be careful of set pieces

Haifa has scored ten goals from set pieces including four from penalties, second most behind Maccabi Netanya who have scored 11 times from dead balls. Mimer’s squad has also scored twice from direct free kicks most in the league and are tied with Maccabi.

Haifa has Hapoel Hadera have conceded the least goals from set pieces with only two. However, they have given up the most goals from open pitch attacks along with Hadera (25).

On the defensive side of the game, Haifa has the lowest tackle percentage at 47% (74/156).

Another fact is that the Carmel Reds press the least on the opponent’s side of the pitch at only 0.5 items per match.

Nes Zamir’s absence

In the match against Maccabi, Haifa will be without out Nes Zamir who is suspended. Zamir and Yarden Shua are the two players in the league who have been involved in most of their club’s goals (12). Zamir has 6 goals and 6 assists.

Striker Ben Azubel will play and as one of the tallest players in the league he has been involved in many aerial battles, averaging 11 per match in which he wins 4.2 of them.

One of Haifa’s most important players is Dor Malul who grew up through the ranks of Maccabi. The right back has assisted on four goals this season just behind Eli Dasa who has six helpers and has a 56% accuracy rate when he sends the ball into the box.

Matan Hozez, who Maccabi loaned to Hapoel Haifa has scored 4 goals in 304 minutes he has played since joining the Reds for an average of one goal every 76 minutes.

Haifa has a very aggressive midfield which is led by Rasmus Sjöstedt who ranks 6th in steals with 137.

The stats you need to know ahead of the match against Hapoel Haifa

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To date the clubs have played 114 league matches: 51 Maccabi wins, 33 draw, 30 Haifa wins. Goal Differential: 176:110 in favor of Maccabi

Maccabi has hosted Haifa 57 times in league play and have recorded 31 wins, 15 draws and 11 losses.

Maccabi has scored exactly 100 league goals at home against Hapoel Haifa and have conceded 45.


The biggest win: 7:0 in 1993/94. In that match Itzik Zohar scored a hat trick, Avi Nimmi a brace while Eli Driks and Meir Melika also found the back of the goal.

The all-time goal scoring leader against Hapoel Haifa is Rafi Levi with 10. Sheya Glazer and Avi Nimni each have 9 goals a piece.

רפי לוי ()

The most goals in a single match against Hapoel Haifa: 4 goals by Yosef Merimovitch in 1954/55 in a 6:0 victory.

Maccabi has a 100% success rate in penalties against Haifa, 13 of 13.

In fact, there isn’t another club that Maccabi has a 100% success rate in which they have taken at last 7 spot kicks.

This season Maccabi has only taken two penalties, the lowest this decade.

43 players have appeared for both sides. On the current Maccabi squad there are two, Ruslan Barsky and Dor Peretz.

Haim Megrelashvili’s 93’ minute goal last season on Matchday 27 in a 2:1 defeat was the only home loss this past decade in injury time

Maccabi’s home record on Matchday 21 since 2000/01 (Maccabi defeated Rishon Le’Zion 10:1) stands at 8 wins and a draw.

Yellow & Blue Derby: Maccabi “Shachar” defeats Hapoel 2:1

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תקציר הניצחון של הנוער על פועל ת״א – מחזור 19


The Under-19 side faced Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Derby on Matchday 19 of the Israel Youth Premier League. Guy Tzarfati’s charges began the day in 2nd place, 6 points off the top of the table leaders Maccabi Petah Tikva while the Reds were in 9th place.

Starting XI: Or Itzhak, Michael Chilaka, Alon Shtrozberg, Amit Glezer, Tomer Mahluf, Ido Shahar, Mufleh Shalata, Nadav Nidam, Eduardo Guerrero, Gil Ben Shalosh, Eyal Hen.

First Half
Maccabi began the match with a 2’ chance via Shalata who took the ball from the right and moved into the box, but his left footed shot was saved by the Hapoel keeper Ido Askafe. Ten minutes later Ilay Tamam’s opportunity for the Reds was parried away by Itzhak for a corner.

In the 25’ Amit Meir threatened the Maccabi goal from long distance but his attempt went over the bar, however, the next chance was for the Yellow & Blue and that one found the back of the goal. Shahar passed the ball to Nidam who sent it to Hen as he beat two defenders and the keeper to give Maccabi a 1:0 lead.

Hapoel almost found the equalizer 3 minutes later from a free kick but Itzhak reacted quickly as the ball hit the bar and Tzarfati’s squad was able to clear the danger. In the 39’ Hapoel, once again looked to draw even as Abdul Nagaev’s attempt hit the post but Davida’s 42’ opportunity knotted up the contest at 1:1 as his shot from outside the box beat Itzhak as the side’s headed into the break deadlocked.

Second Half
In the 55’ Maccabi had the first chance of the half when Hen’s attempt from the left side was saved by the Reds keeper while a minute later Cohen beat a defender but his shot was blocked by an active Askafe. Maccabi’s ensuing short corner to Mahluf was crossed into the box to Shtrozberg but Askafe again parried the ball away for a corner.

Hapoel’s 65’ free kick was cleared by Shtrozberg and Daniel Konitski’s chance was saved by Itzhak while five minutes later Cohen’s attempt towards the far corner missed the target and went by the post. Finally in the 79’ Maccabi took the lead as Shahar left the ball for Cohen who sent a gorgeous through pass to Guerrero who went one on one with the Reds keeper and beat Askafe to give the Yellow & Blue a 2:1 advantage.

In the 85’ Guerrero gave Yagudaev the ball on the left side but his attempt went out while five minutes later the Reds had a chance to draw even but came up short as Maccabi won the Derby and collected the three points.

Marcelo joins CD Aves on loan

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Maccabi Tel Aviv FC and CD Aves reached an agreement for the loan deal of Marcelo as the 24-year-old Brazilian midfielder will join the Portuguese club until the end of the season

How do you say Maccabist in Spanish? Enric Saborit Special Interview

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ראיון מיוחד עם אנריק סבוריט


Enric Saborit, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s left defensive back spoke about a myriad of topics as he sat down to talk about life in Israel, his background, scoring goals and of course winning the championship:

“My English is improving and I’m learning with Jair Amador. I’m a person who doesn’t have much of a problem getting used to new places. Of course when you first arrive it’s not that easy. You’ll go to the supermarket and you can’t understand a thing. But now things are going great and the people have been terrific to me. When I meet the fans they are great and so nice and they tell me that I’m playing well and that the team is doing fantastic. They also tell me that they’re happy that I’m here and that makes me even happier that things are going the way they should be. I’m very happy here and I hope that I’ll be here for many years to come.”

Who is Enric Saborit:
“I was born in Catalonia, lived in Bilbao and now I’m in Tel Aviv. I’m always asked where do I feel I belong, but I was born on this earth and I belong to every place. I identify myself as Catalonian and with the Basques and I’m sure that if I’m here for three years I’ll also identify with the Israelis. I’m a calm person and I enjoy playing with my dogs. I like going out with my wife and to shop. I also am a fan of the theatre but it’s a bit difficult for me here. I watch television series, for example Fauda and Money Heist.”

Saborit’s tattoos:
“All of the tattoos have meaning. There’s one of my mother and it says ‘Never give up’ and one of my mother in law. I have a puzzle which my mother and brother have. My mother has the middle piece and my brother and I have the side pieces. I also have a key which my wife has as well and I also have a sentence that says ‘Who wants get something will find the way who not an excuse.’”

Scoring goals:
“I scored my first goal with Bilbao in the Europa League and my second at Camp Nou. I’ve scored some nice goals but I want to score even more. My first goal with Maccabi was like this, Dasa crossed the ball, I went inside the box and I kicked the ball with my right foot and scored. It was a nice goal. But I think the second goal was just off the ground. I don’t score many goals so I was excited about these and the second was against Hapoel Beer Sheva, one of the strongest teams.”

The relationship between the players on the squad:
“The club has a very good dressing room and we all get along well with one another. We’re all friends and we’re all part of the club and we’re all one.”

What it means to be a part of Maccabi Tel Aviv:
“I know that being part of Maccabi means you always have to win and that we have to be champions, this mentality was explained to me. If we’re up 2:0 then we have to score the third goal and if it’s 3:0 the the fourth. I like to win and I really hate to lose. I have ambition and my goal is to win the championship, play in Europe and I think we’re on the right track. The people who work here want to accomplish this because it’s been a number of years since the club win the title. I came here with the desire to win the championship and I knew that I was coming to a team that needs to win the championship. That my expectation to win the championship. I’m not surprised because we have a team that can do just that, win the championship.”

Glezer: “We prepare for every match as it’s the most important one”

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Dan Glezer, the Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder looked ahead to the Matchday 21 Israel Premier League Ligat Japanika clash at home against Hapoel Haifa on Sunday evening:

“It’s a good feeling to be on a dominant team but we know that we need to come prepared. We aren’t focusing on the Cup match against Saknin but on our contest versus Hapoel Haifa. We prepare for every match as it’s the most important one and right now the contest against is the most important one.”

Being part of a successful team:
“It’s a great feeling and a dream come true to be a player on the Maccabi squad. The most important thing is consistency and working hard every match so we can celebrate at the end of the season.”

Working hard:
“We knew when we can back to Maccabi we would give it our 100% every minute of every match. The age combination in the dressing room between the younger and more veteran players is great. We are happy at Maccabi and each one of us has to give it all because we know that there is another player waiting who can play the same position on the pitch.”

Ivic: “We are all working towards the same goal”

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Vladimir Ivic, the Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach looked ahead to his squad’s Israel Premier League Ligat Japanika Matchday 21 contest against Hapoel Haifa at the Netanya Stadium:

“This is a team that has won 5 matches and drew 5 more in their last 10 games. This is a serious club. For sure we have a difficult game in front of us and we have two be prepared. Our goal is the same as any other game, we want to win the game.”

The status of the squad:
“We have a couple of players who are recovering and they are feeling better. I hope they will be with us.”

About the loaned players:
“Sometimes it’s hard to give 23 players the same chance. We thought it would be good for him to play every week. We wish him always all the best and his success is our success. I have 22-23 players and he didn’t get many chances not because he doesn’t have quality it’s because we have 4-5 players at each position. Maybe it was my mistake about loaning Matan Hozez, I don’t know. Matan works hard. For the other players (Kartzev, Ohayon, Almog) Hadera is a good place for them to be. We decided to move them together to be on one team. I support this move and will follow them. They need to fight to play there.”

Eli Dasa:
“We have to follow what will happen until the end of the window and we will use him (Dasa) if he stays, he’a a quality player and he’s important to our game.”

Satisfied at Maccabi:
“In this role you never know what will be. One month of poor results can change everything. I’m happy here and satisfied. We work hard and I’m in the biggest club in Israel. We are all working towards the same goal.”

The Under-19 squads performance at the Winter Tournament:
“I have my opinion about the younger players and it’s helpful to watch them play and I receive a report. We are happy with their performance and if some of them can play with the first team then we will use them.”