Category: News

Hapoel Acre Home Ticket Sales

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Maccabi Tel Aviv continues Israel Premier League Ligat Ha’Al play on Sunday October 29th at 20:10 when they host Hapoel Acre for a Matchday 9 encounter at the Netanya Stadium. Tickets are on sale so come out and cheer the Yellow & Blue.

Maccabi fans may purchase tickets for the following sections: West Stand Reserved Upper (204-209) & Lower Levels (101-109) , Silver and E+. This match is included in the 2017/18 season ticket package.

You may purchase tickets at the Leaan Ticket Office located at 101 Dizengoff Street, Tel Aviv, by telephone *8780 and via the Leaan Website.

Please note:
Print at home is available

Ticket Prices
Leaan Ticket Office
West Stand
Adult – 100 NIS
E+ – 200 NIS
Silver – 350 NIS

Telephone/Website
West Stand
Adult – 105 NIS
Youth/Soldier/Woman – 55 NIS (Phone Sales only, not including section 203)
E+ – 205 NIS
Silver – 405 NIS

Ticket Collection
Tickets may be collected at the Leaan Ticket Office located at 101 Dizengoff Street between Sunday-Thursday 09:00-19:00, Friday 09:00-13:30.

Tickets may be collected on Matchday at the Stadium ticket windows beginning 3 hours prior to the match until 45 minutes after the start of the match.

Yellow & Blue Youth Department Results October 21, 2017

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Bnei Sakhnin 1:4 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv
The Under-19 side recorded an important away win on Matchday 5 of the Youth Premier League. Eden Kartsev, Eylon Almog, Eyal Hen all scored for the Yellow & Blue. Head Coach Guy Tzarfati summed up the victory: “This was a good win at one of the toughest away pitches in the country. We were able to take advantage of our opportunities and that was key for us this match. Now we’re looking ahead to next week’s Derby.” For the full match report click here.

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv 1:2 Maccabi “Goldshenfeld” Haifa
After a win last week, the Under-16 squad fell to their rivals from the Carmel on Matchday 6. Nehorai Biton scores for the young Yellow & Blue. Head Coach Raymond Atteveld spoke about the contest: “We weren’t alert enough at the start of the game and that cost us a goal. After the goal we were able to control the pace of the game which was played at a high level and we created many chances. We were able to score the tying goal but we had to score more with the opportunities that we had. In fact, on one of the attacks that we had where we didn’t score, eventually led to a counter attack by Haifa. We made a number of mistakes in our decisions that led to the goal that we gave up. We have some important lessons to learn from the match today in terms of focusing and concentrating right from the beginning of the game. The second thing that we need to improve is how we take advantage of our chances in front of the goal. I feel that the team is getting more and more fit and will play even better as time goes by. There’s still what to improve on the defensive side of the game and to be less naive. All in all the players will learn and continue to develop from this match as good players are ones who make fewer mistakes.”

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv 3:0 Sektzia Nes Ziona
The Under-15 South Team continued their winning ways as they convincingly defeated Nes Ziona. The young Yellow & Blue controlled the match just as they have in all four of their games, Ariel Belhason. Ener Osmandi and Elad Kaplan scored. Head Coach Ori David summed up the contest: “The match was good for the most part but we lacked some finishing, but the pace of the game was fine and I am continuing to see improvement from match to match due to our quality training sessions over the course of the week.”

Maccabi “Rafael” Netanya 1:3 Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv
Matchday 4 saw the Under-15 North side pick up yet another win. This time the young Yellow & Blue handed Netanya their first league loss thanks to goals by Omer Senior with a brace and Aviv Peles. Asaf Heber, the Head Coach spoke about the match that was: “We visited a tough pitch against a very good opponent and the squad did what we worked on all week during practice. Even when our opponent came back at the start of the second half, we didn’t stop playing and we pushed forward in order to regain the lead. Congratulations to the guys.”

Maccabi “Shachar” defeats Bnei Sakhnin 4:1

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Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv played at Sakhnin on Matchday 5 of the Youth Premier League and picked up the 3-points and an important 4:1 win over the northern rivals.

First Half
Guy Tzarfati’s squad came into the contest after falling to Hapoel Raanana last Matchday while Bnei Sakhnin also lost last week. The match began evenly with both sides trying to control the pace. After 20 minutes of football the young Yellow & Blue began to take the upper hand on ball possession which almost resulted in Eyal Hen finding the back of the goal but could only hit the post. However, in the 37’ Eden Kartsev would give Maccabi a 1:0 lead with a scorcher from 18 meters out which smacked the post and this time went in.

Second Half
The match resumed with Sakhnin looking for an equalizer which they found in the 47’ after a cross into the box was put in behind the Maccabi “Shachar” keeper, 1:1. The young Yellow & Blue came right back and regained the lead in the 55’ with an own goal for a 2:1 advantage. Two minutes later, the visitors would pad their lead when Eylon Almog who had come in as a substitute scored thanks to an assist by Or Dasa. The game continued with Maccabi in control as Eyal Hen added the 4th marker for a 4:1 win.

Head Coach Guy Tzarfati summed up the victory: “This was a good win at one of the toughest away pitches in the country. We were able to take advantage of our opportunities and that was key for us this match. Now we’re looking ahead to next week’s Derby.”

Starting XI – Daniel Peretz, Noam Cohen, Amit Glezer, Fadi Najar, Tomer Mahlouf, Eden Kartsev, Tomer Altman, Prince Thomas, Or Dasa, Eyal Hen, Amir Hardon.

Coming home: Maccabi holds morning training session

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Maccabi Tel Aviv will begin to make their way back to Israel after falling to Astana on Matchday 3 of the Europa League.

Prior to their flight home, the players held a training session at the hotel’s fitness center under the guidance of Juan Torrijo. Maccabi is scheduled to land later today and tomorrow will begin preparations for Matchday 8 action at Hapoel Beer Sheva this coming Monday night. The contest at Turner will mark the start of a busy week that will feature 3 games, including a Toto Cup match on Thursday and a home encounter against Hapoel Acre.

Yeini: “We have to make sure that we don’t play like this Europe again”

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Sheran Yeini, the Maccabi Tel Aviv captain looked back at the club’s 4:0 defeat to Astana on Matchday 3 of the Europa League:

“We can live with this or learn from this. We have to learn from this as Maccabi Tel Aviv can’t play at this level. This was one of the most unpleasant games that I’ve had at Maccabi. We have to make sure that we don’t play like this Europe again especially against a team like this. They are good, but we can do a lot more and we have to already begin preparing for the match against Beer Sheva on Monday.”

Not surprised by Astana’s quality:
“We weren’t surprised. We saw them on video and we knew that they had some excellent players that were quick and strong on the attack. We knew it would be tough, we expected it.”

About the match:
“We tried it surprise them with our formation but it didn’t work as plan and they controlled the pace of the match fairly quickly. After ten minutes we thought we were fairly even. But they began to take over the match and then came the goals and we were not ready for the second one. We wanted to get into the half as is, try to pressure them and get back into the match and give everything that we have. But they scored another quick goal at that was the end of the game.”

Cruyff: “I hope that in our home we will show how we can play”

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Jordi Cruyff, the Yellow & Blue boss spoke at the post match press conference about his squad’s 4:0 defeat at the hands of Astana in Kazakhstan on Matchday 3 of the Europa League:

“I want to congratulate Astana. I think that up until the penalty there was not much going on in the match and I believe that the goal gave them good momentum and we made mistakes that led to the 2nd and 3rd goals. When it’s minute 60 all I can think about is stopping the game. I think that this was our worst performance in the last 5-6 years. This is not the Maccabi that we know we can show and we can’t wait until the next match in Israel to show who we are.”

Moves made to open the second half:
“We made changes that would give us a chance to play more offensively. But after 5 minutes we were already down 4:0 so we knew the game was finished and we just tried to just finish this bad game and just focus and learn from it. We have an important match on Monday and we are beginning to prepare for that already. We will meet Astana in two weeks and I hope that we will show in our home that we can play there and win.”

More on Astana’s performance:
“It was clear that the two strikers were important to them and they controlled the game.”

The next match in Israel:
“Naturally we believe that in Israel we will play better. It’s difficult to say that after this game. But at home we are a different team and we hope that we will win.”

Final thoughts:
“Up until the penalty things were fairly calm. The second and third goals were due to our mistakes. On an individual level we made a number of errors and we were punished. I want to repeat that everything went wrong for us today. This was a bad result and we have to learn from our mistakes in this game.”

Maccabi falls 4:0 to Astana

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The Yellow & Blue fell 4:0 to Astana in Kazakhstan on Matchday 3 of the Europa League. Patrick Twumasi scored two first half goals, the opening strike via penalty while Junior Kabananga added a brace of his own in half number two. Maccabi Tel Aviv will now return to Israel on Friday and get ready for a Monday night Israel Premier League clash at Hapoel Beer Sheva.

Jordi Cruyff’s Starting XI has a number of wrinkles in it but the keeper position wasn’t one of them as Serbian shot stopper Predrag Rajikovic was in goal. Yuval Shpungin, Jean-Sylvain Babin, Tal Ben Haim and Ofir Davidzada were the defenders, while captain Sheran Yeini was in the midfield along with Cristian Battocchio and Dor Peretz. Nick Blackman, Tino Susic and Vidar Kjartansson provided the attack up front.

Available on the bench were keeper Daniel Tenenbaum, Omer Atzily, Eliran Atar, Egor Filipenka, Avi Rikan, Eitan Tibi, Tomer Altman.

First Half
After ten minutes of back and forth play, Serikzhan Muzhikov picked up a yellow card for a reckless tackle in the 13’. Four minutes later Patrick Twumasi’s free kick was collected by Rajikovic while in the 19’ Junior Kabananga’s chance from inside the box just missed the target.

Maccabi’s first opportunity came in the 20’ when Battocchio’s scorcher was deflected over the goal. Astana continued to pressure the Yellow & Blue goal as Dmitri Shomko and Abzal Beysebekov each he chances in the 23’ and 27’ respectively. However, the pressure paid off in the 32’ as Yeini conceded a foul for a reckless tackle at the top of the Maccabi box.

The ensuing free kick was blocked by Peretz’s hand in the box as he was issued a yellow card while Astana was handed a penalty. Twumasi stepped up and slotted the ball to Rajikovic’s right for a 1:0 Astana lead in the 33’. Nick Blackman picked up a yellow card seven minutes later as Astana looked for a second goal. And a second goal they would find as Twumasi scored a spectacular strike from in front of Rajiko as Astana doubled their advantage in the 43’, 2:0.

Second Half
Cruyff made 2 substitutions at the half bringing on Eliran Atar and Avi Rikan for Tino Susic and Dor Peretz to jump start the offense. But it was Astana who found the back of the goal again in the 47’ as Kabananga’s long distance strike from the top right of the box beat Rajikovic as he dove to his left giving the hosts a 3:0 lead. Atar left a ball for Davidzada in the 50’ who sent it to Vidar but the Icelander’s header went out.

But things went from bad to worse two minutes later as Kabananga took a ball from Shomko and beat Rajikovic from the top of the box as the hosts went up 4:0. Eitan Tibi replaces Vidar Kjartansson in the 75’ as play continued to slow down with the match ending in a 4:0 win to Astana.

Maccabi will now look ahead to Monday’s Israel Premier League contest at Hapoel Beer Sheva.

Youth Department Action Saturday October 21, 2017

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Bnei Sakhnin – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 13:30 Sakhnin
Matchday 5 of the Youth Premier League features a tough away match as Maccabi “Shachar” will travel up to Sakhnin and try to get back onto the winning track while the hosts currently have 4 points after a loss last week.

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv – Maccabi “Goldshenfeld” Haifa, 10:30 Kiryat Shalom Synthetic
The Club’s Under-16 squad hosts the Greens on Matchday 6 after beating Petah Tikva last match. Haifa comes into the contest in second place undefeated.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv – Sektzia Nes Ziona, 08:30 Kiryat Shalom Synthetic
The only club that has won all 3 of their league matches welcome Nes Ziona for an early morning date at the Yellow & Blue training facility. The visitors sit in 10th place with 3 points as Maccabi will look to pick up another victory.

Maccabi “Refael” Netanya – Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv, 10:30 Shapira Netanya
The Under-15 North squad heads to Netanya on Matchdaty 4 as the young Yellow & Blue will try and keep their perfect record intact. The hosts have 7 points and have not lost yet in league play.

Know your opponent: Astana

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Although Astana may have only been founded in 2009, they already have put together an impressive European record playing in both the Champions League and Europa League group stages over the past 3 seasons. Domestically, the club which began under the name Lokomotiv Astana, have won the Kazakhstan Premier League three times along with capturing 5 Cup competitions proving to be a footballing force to be reckoned with.

Get to know Astana

Let’s find out how the Kazakhstan club built themselves into a continental name and what Maccabi can expect come Thursday on Matchday 3 of the Europa League Group Stages thanks to Manuel Veth of futbolgrad.com.

Nicknamed The Blue & Yellows, Astana may have many domestic players on its squad but relies heavily on the scoring punch of a pair of foreigners from the Congo and Ghana explained Veth, “The top players are forwards Junior Kabananga who plays on the Congo National Team and Patrick Twumasi from Ghana. The two have scored 28 goals together just this season in the Kazakh Premier League and combine very well up top.”

Photo: fca.kz ()

“Astana play in the classic 4-2-3-1 formation and although they are usually the underdogs in European football they try to play a cultured attacking style,” continued Veth when asked about the style of play that can be expected by the Kazakstan club.

Much of the European success has been due to the head coach who arrived on the scene from Bulgaria a few years ago, “Stanimir Stoilov has been with the club since 2014 and has overseen a very successful period with the club. Under him Astana qualified for their third consecutive European group stage competition. Signed from Botev Plovdiv, Stoilov has averaged 2.02 points per game as the head coach of Astana and has won three Kazakh championships with the club.”

Photo: fca.kz ()

For the Maccabi fans who will be heading to the Kazakh capital, the fan culture is bit subdued commented Veth, “It is a bit of a mute atmosphere in Astana. Although the state is investing heavily in football it is still only the third largest sport behind traditional Kazakh sports and ice hockey.”

Astana has been extremely successful at home in European play and that is due to a couple of important factors, “I think travel and the artificial pitch are huge. Astana hasn’t lost at home against European opposition in more than two years, winning 8 matches while drawing 8 others. I think that of the two factors the travel is by far the biggest concern for teams traveling to Kazakhstan. With that in mind Astana are very strong at home and even big clubs like Atletico have struggled.”

Photo: fca.kz ()

Astana Fun Facts
1) Maccabi Head Coach Jordi Cruyff is familiar with Astana boss Stanimir Stoilov when both were in Cyprus between 2010-2012. Cruyff was the Sports Director at AEK Larnaca while Stoilov was with Anorthosis Famagusta as the Head Coach.

2) Astana’s biggest European home win came in 2014/15 Europa League qualifying when they defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 3:0.

3) While the Israeli league is just getting underway, the Kazakhstan league is nearing its end as Astana has already played 29 matches and sits in first place with a record of 23 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses.

4) The team in second place is none other than Kairat Almaty, one of Maccabi’s 2016/17 Europa League qualifying opponents. In fact, matches between the clubs are considered as the Two Capitals Derby.

5) Astana plays in the ultra modern 30,000 seat Astana Arena that features a retractable roof, climate control and a synthetic pitch.

6) Even though Astana may be new to European football they have played against a number of opponents that are familiar continental foes to Maccabi including, Maribor, APOEL, HJK, Olympiacos and Zalgiris.