Maccabi Tel Aviv attempted to get their Europa League campaign off to a good start but fell away at Slavia Prague in a disappointing 1:0 loss.

The Head Coach Jordi Cruyff spoke about the match: “I think that we did not play well in the first half. Every time we tried to go on the attack they were first to get to the ball. But as time went on we felt more comfortable on the pitch.”

Cruyff continued: “We controlled the ball but didn’t have many chances. In the second half there was a big chance and we saw a totally different club. If we had a little bit of luck we could have come away with a better result.”

About the change that occurred in the second half:
“We went into the second half knowing that we were down and that we had to push forward. We did that well. We tried to control the ball from the back. We had some chances but we weren’t able to score. Slavia played a good first half and we did so in the second half.”

The fans that travelled to Prague:
“I think that the support from our fans was tremendous. The players tried to give the fans a better result but they weren’t able to. Over the past few seasons we have seen how the fans support the club and because of that the players give even more of themselves. We are disappointed with the result but I am satisfied with how the players performed, especially in the second half.”

The Yellow & Blue opened up their Europa League campaign with a disappointing 1:0 loss to Slavia Prague on a first half goal by Tomas Necid. Maccabi will now turn their sights onto Monday night’s league contest away at Maccabi Netanya.

Head Coach Jordi Cruyff’s Starting XI had a number of new twists, however, Serbian keeper Predrag Rajikovic was in goal as usual. Captain Sheran Yeini, Tal Ben Haim, Jean-Sylvain Babin and Ofir Davidzada were the defenders while Egor Filipenka, Tino-Sven Susic and Cristian Battocchio manned the midfield. Dor Micha, Eliran Atar and Vidar Kjartansson provided the attack.

Available on the bench were keeper Daniel Tenenbaum, Avi Rikan, Barak Itzhaki, Yuval Shpungin, Eitan Tibi, Omer Atzily, Nick Blackman.

First Half
With both crowds roaring away from the get go, the match remained quiet until the ’12 when an Eduard Sobol crossed the ball from the left side and found Tomas Necid in the box who headed it past a helpless Rajikovic for a 1:0 Slavia lead. The Serbian shot stopper had to be sharp four minutes later when he made a tremendous kick save off a Tomas Soucek scorcher to keep the deficit at one.

Maccabi threatened the Prague goal for the first time in the ’24 when Davidzada sent the ball into the box from the left side but he missed his intended target in Kjartansson. Babin was issued a yellow card for a reckless tackle in the ’30 while Necid just missed a brace when his header went wide left of the goal. Sobol and Necid tried to team up once again but the latter’s attempt was skied over the goal in the 36’ as the the hosts took a 1: advantage into the break.

Second Half
Slavia captain Jaromir Zmrhal had a good chance in the box but his effort went wide in the ’51 while a minute later Miroslav Stock was shown a yellow card. Maccabi finally showed some life in front of the Slavia goal as Micha sent the ball to Yeini who slotted it into Vidar but his chance went off a defender good for a corner in the ’60.

Five minutes later Davidzada got Atar the ball in the box but number 16’s attempt went wide left of the goal. Nick Blackman was Cruyff’s first substitute of the contest as the striker was introduced in favor of Filipenka to try and take advantage of Maccabi’s positive play. Avi Rikan joined him on the pitch for Babin in the ’72 and Omer Atzily was brought on in the ’80 for Micha to jumpstart the offense as Cruyff again looked to draw even.

Battocchio tried his luck from long distance in the ’85 but he missed the target while Rikan’s weak attempt 3 minutes later was easily collected by Kovar. In the ’89 Davidzada’s screamer from the top of the box just went wide left as the match ended in a 1:0 defeat to Slavia Prague.

Former Yellow & Blue winger Tal Ben Chaim stopped by to greet his friends and former teammates in Prague and spoke about his new club, expectations and of course Maccabi:

“I came to see some of my former teammates and friends after not having seen them for a couple of months. It was great to see everyone and it was exciting to also see the professional and medical staff as well even the security staff that had accompanied us in Europe and at training camp over the past few years. I’m happy that I’ll be able to see them play and I hope that they will win.”

Seeing all of the Yellow & Blue fans throughout the Czech capital:
“I had a chance to walk around the city center today and Prague felt like Tel Aviv because there were so many Maccabi fans. It was really heartwarming and it was a bit of deja vu. I miss it a lot, but it was something that I took into account when I moved to Prague and I also said that in the past it may be good to take a break from each other as absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

On Maccabi for this coming season:
“I think that they have a very good team and I believe that Maccabi as a club with Jordi at its head, know how to deal with a player leaving. They always know how to put together a good squad and one that could be even better than in prior seasons. I try to see as many Maccabi matches as possible and I wish them the best of luck. I hope that they will win the title this season after not having won it the past two campaigns.”

About Slavia Prague:
“I haven’t seen them play one match yet and I haven’t played against them either, but I will three days after the Maccabi game. I don’t think I can give out any tips about Slavia but maybe you’ll be able to. It seems to me that the top clubs in the Czech Republic are at about the same level of the best clubs in Israel such as Maccabi and Beer Sheva. I believe that it will be a very even match and Slavia may have an advantage as they are at home, but I’m sure Maccabi can take a good result back to Israel.”

Acclimating to his new home:
“I’m still at a point where I am acclimating and I am learning the league and my club Sparta Prague. I’m still at the beginning of the road and I also came in to the team with an injury that I suffered in the State Cup Final but I was able to start the season off decently. However, we haven’t really gotten off to a great start overall.”

Expectations when playing for Sparta:
“Sparta is like the Maccabi Tel Aviv of Prague and they are the biggest club in the city. If Maccabi would have begun the campaign just as Sparta did here, the treatment from the fans, the press and from the club itself would have been the same because we are the biggest club in the country. There are expectations and you can’t take your foot off of the gas and you can’t get into a slump. That’s what is unique at big clubs and it’s fun to be a part of it.”

Battle for the championship in Israel:
“I’m sure that this season will be the same as it was the last five campaigns, where it will be Maccabi and Beer Sheva fighting it out until the end. I hope that Maccabi will be the Champion at the season.”

Final thoughts:
“I’m still a big fan of the club and I’m crossing my fingers for them. I try to watch Maccabi as much as possible. I wish that they will succeed and be able to reach all of their goals and of course start off with a win against Slavia.”

Europa League Group Stage action gets underway tonight against Slavia Prague at 20:00 Israel Time and Nick Blackman can’t wait to get continental play going. WATCH

Maccabi Tel Aviv opens up the Europa League Group Stages against Slavia Prague in Matchday 1 of Group A.
Journey to the Europa League Group Stages from a different angle

Just before Maccabi begins to write the next page in European competition, let’s take a look at some great facts and stats about the Yellow & Blue in continental action:

Maccabi will begin their fifth season out of the last seven in the group stages of continental action while this will be their fourth time in the Europa League group stages this past decade.

To date, Maccabi has played 30 matches in European Group Stages.
The match against Slavia Prague will be the Yellow & Blue’s 116th contest across all European competitions – the Israeli club with the most appearances in continental play. 

Maccabi set a new record of 8 wins in a row (since the 2:1 victory over Dundalk at the end of the last campaign) for an Israeli club in European competition after defeating Austrian outfit Altach. Let’s hope that the 2:2 draw in their second leg was just a small blip on the radar screen.

The furthest Maccabi has advanced in the Europa League Group Stages was a berth in the Round of 32 during the 2013/14 season. The Yellow & Blue finished in second place in a group that featured Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany), Bordeaux (France), APOEL (Cyprus).

Maccabi Tel Aviv held their final training session prior to Thursday night’s Europa League Group Stage opener (20:00 Israel Time) against Slavia Prague in the Czech capital. Head Coach Jordi Cruyff spoke at the prematch press conference:

Yellow & Blue striker Vidar Kjartansson also addressed the press prior to tomorrow night’s contest:

The Yellow & Blue visit the Czech Republic for a date with Slavia Prague on Matchday 1 of the Europa League Group Stages. In order to better prepare for the battle at hand against former Maccabi Tel Aviv winger and current Sparta Prague player Tal Ben Chaim’s new Derby opponent, we spoke to Ian Hunt a Prague football expert and Jan Vacek from Denik Sport.

Slavia Prague was founded in 1892 and features a long and storied history winning 18 domestic titles. However, after beginning as primarily a cycling club, football was added in 1896. The Czech Republic outfit won their first domestic title in 1913 when they captured the Bohemian Football Union championship while their next 13 league triumphs came in the Czechoslovak First League. Following many years in the lower divisions, the next time Slavia won the league was in 1996, after the split between Slovakia and the Czech Republic and have won three times since, with the most recent coming this past season.

The current squad has a number of key players explains Hunt: “Simon Deli & Milan Škoda are very important to the team. Deli is a calming presence at the back who was sorely missed in the Champions League qualifiers with APOEL, while Škoda has been Slavia’s chief goal getter for the past few seasons and is the focal point of the attack.” Vacek added that another player to watch out for is, “Offensive midfielder Josef Hušbauer who is the heart and soul of team and a very productive playmaker.”

“Head Coach Jaroslav Šilhavý has worked wonders since joining club,” according to Hunt. “Slavia are unbeaten in the league since he took over (over 30 games now!) and took the team to the cup semi final, which was a unfortunately a shock defeat but was redeemed by winning the league shortly thereafter.”

Vacek echoed his compatriot’s thoughts: “Jaroslav Šilhavý is a very distinguished and smart coach as well as being a great person. But he is under a lot of pressure because Slavia failed to qualify for the Champions League.”

“Slavia’s style of play uses shorts passes and they are generally really good in the passing game,” explained Hunt. “They are also trying to be creative from defenders. They want to control every match and they usually have a high percentage in ball possession.” Vacek added that, “Slavia will be patient and will maintain possession of the ball. Traditionally, they play a 4-5-1 with a solid, defensive minded midfield.”

Maccabi fans who will descend upon the Eden Arena for the match will be in for a treat when it comes to the Slavia supporters said Hunt: “The fans are passionate and demanding. The club’s tradition is that regardless of the result or performance, the team always goes to the main supporters (Tribuna Sever) and one of the players takes the megaphone to lead the “Děkovačka” – The players shouts down the megaphone & the ultras repeat after the player.”

Looking at Slavia’s chances going forward, Hunt felt that they will have a “strong chance in the home game with good attendance because at times the noise levels against APOEL were deafening and it could have an impact on the outcome. However, Maccabi is coming to Prague at a good time, as on the Sunday after the match they are at home to Sparta in a crucial league contest for both clubs. I wouldn’t be surprised if Šilhavý will rest the key men for the Derby, as we’re already behind Plzen & don’t want to be further adrift so early in the season.”

Vacek concluded that, “From the Slavia point of view, they would think that they are the favorites in this matchup. But from my point of view, as I remember Maccabi from the Plzeň games two years ago, it will be very tough for Slavia. In my opinion it’s 60:40 in favor of Maccabi.

Fun Facts about Slavia Prague:

1) Slavia’s first coach was Scotsman John Madden and he spent so much of his life in Prague, that he actually forgot how to speak English by the time of his death.

2) On of Maccabi’s former Europa League opponents, Hajduk Split were formed after a group of students from Split attended a match between Slavia & Sparta Praha. The clubs remain friends to this day.

3) Slavia legend Josef Bican is regarded as one of the games most prolific goal scorers (607 goals) ever but amazingly most people don’t even know who he is.

4) Maccabi Tel Aviv will be Slavia’s first Israeli opponent but they have played many of the same clubs the Yellow & Blue have in continental action including Ajax, APOEL, PAOK, Panathinaikos and Grasshopper.

The real thing is about to begin. Maccabi Tel Aviv departed this morning (Wednesday) for Czech Republic where they will face Slavia Prague on Matchday 1 of the Europa League Group Stages Thursday night at 20:00 Israel time at the Eden Arena.

Check out the Official Maccabi Tel Aviv App and Website for all of the Yellow & Blue updates, video clips, interviews and more from the Czech Republic.

Hundreds of fans flew to Prague and they along with the players were able to pick up the Official Europa League Scarf at the James Richardson Duty Free Store at Ben Gurion Airport.

Central defender Tal Ben Haim spoke ahead of the flight about the continental challenge that lies ahead:
“This is our third year in a row that we are playing in European group stages and it’s very exciting. We are heading out to a difficult match but we are hoping to come back home with a good result. Winger Tal Ben Chaim will visit us at the hotel and I’m sure he will have a few more tips for us and we will be prepared. We understand that there will be a lot of fans flying to the contest and we hope that we will make them happy.”

This morning the players and professional staff arrived at the airport and later on today the prematch press conference and final training session will take place at the stadium.