Maccabi Tel Aviv can make history tonight as they have the opportunity to become the first Israeli club to play in the Champions League and win a title at the end of the campaign. Gal Alberman is certainly looking towards that goal and discussed the league season that was, the State Cup match against Haifa and on winning the Players’ Player award:

“When the playoffs began we drew a bunch if matches. We had gone into the playoffs on a high and we picked up a bunch of points just prior to the final ten matches. We had a year full of excitement by going to the Champions League but we were disappointed on the last Matchday not winning the title.”

Tough competition:

“We took so many points this year but we were up against a team that took even more points than us. That’s what happens after a few years at the top.”

Expectations:

“We go into every year with high expectations. Our goal was to to win the League Championship this year after having played in the Champions League. Last year our goal was to win all the titles that we could move we were eliminated from Europe and we succeeded. We were happy to reach Europe this year but upset that we didn’t take the League.”

Making the switch between the League and State Cup:

“We spent the night happy that we won by a big 6:0 margin but we know that we don’t have any of those goals in the State Cup and it’s a brand new match. It’s a new game and we will have to come to play. Haifa has a lot of quality players and can cause problems for any club. They will come into the game looking to win the Cup.”

The difference playing in the State Cup Final:

“It’s easy to say that we will go into this match like any other but we know that this is a State Cup game and totally different. The minute we wake up in the morning we will know that the is a big game ahead. People like to play in these types of matches and it will be an intense game.”

The last word prior to the Final:

“Every year our goal is to battle for every title that we can and right now this is the only one that we can win. We want to win this title. We will go into this match as defending State Cup Champions and people can’t forget about that.”

19:35 – Almost Ready! Check out the lockerrooms!

18:00 – Make sure to catch all of the action on LIVE from the Stadium with Lior Timor as the match broadcast begins at 20:20 with kick off at 20:50. CLICK HERE to tune in!

17:30 – Avivi is ready for the State Cup Final!!!

17:00 – Gal Alberman spoke to Lior Timor on the Maccabi-Cast and we have the whole interview for you right here in English! CLICK HERE to check out what the veteran midfielder has to say about the season that was and the Cup Match in just a few hours!

16:00 – Trivia Time! We’ve got an extra special Maccabi State Cup Finals Quiz just for you! See how much you know and make sure to share your score! To Begin CLICK HERE

13:55 – Looks like Rajikovic is getting ready and this is how he’s passing time until kick off. How about you? Send us your Facebook and Instgram photos!

12:50 – Back in 2002 Maccabi Tel Aviv played Haifa in the State Cup Final that went to penalties. Liran Staruber the Yellow & Blue keeper recounts all of the excitement and action RIGHT HERE!

09:00 – On the way to Teddy: The State Cup Promo

08:50 – Matchday Offer: To purchase the scarf click on the picture

May 21, 2002. Ramat Gan Stadium. Maccabi Tel Aviv against Maccabi Haifa in a winner take all match for the State Cup title. Both sides had to defeat some tough competition to get the opportunity to meet the President at the time, Moshe Katsav. After 120 minutes the Yellow & Blue and the Greens couldn’t decide a winner as the match went into penalties and who better to take a trip down memory lane than the man who stood in the Tel Aviv goal, Liran Strauber.

14 years have gone by since the two teams battled in the Israeli Classico for the Cup and this time they will kick off at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem on Tuesday at 20:50 in the final match of the season and perhaps the most important. Liran Strauber will take us back to the big plays, amazing saves, the trash talk and of course the joy of capturing the State Cup at the end of a long evening.

הדרך אל הגמר

The road to the final:

“Our first Cup match was against Hapoel Haifa and if I recall correctly it was one of the toughest we had all tournament long. We were able to squeak by and then went all the way to the Final. Maccabi Haifa also came into the match in fine form. I had won three Cups with Maccabi and the whole Stadium in Ramat Gan was painted Yellow & Blue.”

The Final:

“It was a very difficult game and both sides had plenty of chances to score. I won’t speak for myself but you could say that we were the main reason why the crowd was getting a bit disappointed and didn’t get to see a goal. The truth is that a few days before the Final I sent Dudu Aoute a message about the match with a video of some hilights and we spoke about past memories. This was one of that Finals that I really enjoyed even though after 120 minutes the match was still goalless.

The penalty shootout from his point of view:

“The shootout saw me pitted against some great scorers who could really kick the ball. I was close to saving one of the penalties but even that went in. Near the end you’re telling yourself that someone has to miss! I kept diving to the correct corners but the balls still kept going in. Just before Giovanni Rosso stepped up to take his spot kick, I started to trash talk wth him and I said, Giovo, what do you need this for? Shoot it out. I dove to the left and he kick the ball wide right. At that moment I knew the Cup would be ours because Avi was up next. I knew he would win it. I played with Nimni for a long time and I could maybe count his missed penalties on one hand. If I had to pick one player to take a deciding penalty it would be him and all I had to do was wait for the ball to hit the back of the goal.”

The excitement of winning the Cup:

“We all ran after Avi and we were so excited that we all jumped on top of him on the pitch. I was so tired by then especially after 120 minutes of action plus penalties. Sometimes things aren’t in your hands but I’m happy that we had a bit of luck with us. I won back to back Cups during this period and you could say that it’s a bit easier to win two Cups in a row than two league titles because it’s only one match.”

If you had to give Peter Bosz’s players some advice what would it be?

“I would tell them to do exactly what they did on Saturday night. Plain and simple. This match will be do or die with a tremendous amount of pressure. The idea is to go into the match and just explode. Check you injuries and pain at the door and go out and win the Cup. If Maccabi thinks they will see the same club that they did on Saturday, they could pay dearly, but I believe that the players and staff know full well that this game will be a totally different story.”

Just one year ago, he lifted the State Cup and completed the historic Treble as Captain of Maccabi Tel Aviv. Today, the Vitesse Arnhem midfielder, Sheran Yeini can’t wait to watch the State Cup Final on Tuesday, 20:50 at Teddy Stadium when the Yellow & Blue take on Maccabi Haifa and can finish off the season by defending their title. In this exclusive interview Yeini talked about Maccabi’s season, Peter Bosz, last year’s Cup victory and saying goodbye to Bloomfield Stadium:

Starting anew:

“The season got off to a rough start as I was injured but then things began to get better and improve. We also weren’t thrilled where we were living and we moved to Utrecht which is only a half hour from Amsterdam which is incredible.”

The season in Holland:

“All in all I had a good time this year and played well. We didn’t reach our goals of making it to the playoffs as we drew 2:2 in the last match which was disappointing. But I had a new daughter and its one of the greatest things in the world.”

Following Maccabi this season:

“I watch every Maccabi match including the last one but I switched over when it was 3:0 to see what was going on in the Beer Sheva match. But when I saw Bnei Sakhnin was down 3:1 then I knew that it was over. I switched back and it was 6:0 Maccabi. I didn’t know what had happened.”

Summing up Maccabi’s season:

“Maccabi was in the Champions League and took over 80 points which is a tremendous amount and much more than we did last year. They also gave up less goals, but the players participated in many more matches than Beer Sheva. Last year we won the Treble and going into the next season could be tough mentally. You have to give credit to Beer Sheva they earned so many points.”

How would Maccabi fare in Holland:

“I think that Maccabi could be competitive in the upper half of the Dutch league table. The players are fast and very technical at the highest levels here, but there is something specific about Maccabi Tel Aviv that shows that they are really a team. Winners. Professionals. And the fact that they could make it through such a long season is something else. I believe that Maccabi has the right players to be able to compete here.”

Last year’s State Cup:

“Last year I was hurt and I didn’t playing the State Cup Final. But I played in 54 game that year. To see the fans and the players really excited going into the matches amazing. Maccabi really deserves this chance and no one can say thatchy didn’t do enough to win the title this year. The players gave it all.”

Preparing for the Final:

“The players know how to prepare properly for these types of matches and they get ready from game to game. They will have the best mental preparation and make sure they know how to take the bull by the horns. This could be the first time an Israeli club takes a title the same season they played in the Champions League. Maccabi could make history and they are good at that.”

Departing Bloomfield:

“It has the best pitch in Europe and the atmosphere the fans create is unbelievable. The sounds, the sights and it all. Remember when Moshiko Lugassi scored the late winner against Bnei Yehuda, that was one of the great moments at Bloomfield.”

Veteran defender, Carlos Garcia is getting ready for Tuesday’s State Cup Final versus Maccabi Haifa to be played at Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium. He spoke about the upcoming match and the its importance for himself and the club plus his talked about his feelings a out not winning the league title for the first time since he’s been in Israel:

“It wasn’t a good feeling. As a professional the worst feeling is when you lose. We congratulated Beer Sheva and they had a great season. Like the coach said, we lost the title when we drew four matches in a row and not the match against Haifa. This Cup Final match is important for the fans, the players and the Club.”

Switching gears:

“We have to forget the past and we knew already that the league was done before the end of the match. When the referee whistled to end the game we already began thinking about the State Cup.”

Haifa’s performance on Saturday:

“Of course we were surprised. Maccabi Haifa is one of the best teams in the league and they have some very good players. Things can happen and we scored so many goals so quickly. Haifa may have been thinking ahead to the final. I have even more respect for Haifa after that game as one match can’t change the players and how they play.”

His tenure with the Club:

“During the last few transfer windows, I may have had a chance to leave the club. As of today, I have another year on my contract and I have a ticket to return in mid-June. I am very happy here and I love the people and the country. Right now I have to be focussed on the Cup. It’s important for me and the club. It’s very important to win this match.”

Peter Bosz, the Yellow & Blue boss discussed his club’s preparations as they ready themselves to take on Maccabi Haifa in a winner take all one game State Cup Final at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, tomorrow, Tuesday May 24th at 20:50. The coach the match from Saturday night have any effect on the Final:

“I don’t know, it’s a new game and I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant going back to Haifa after such a game. It’s an all or nothing match and we have to have the same attitude that we had on Saturday.”

Importance of winning titles:

“When you are the coach of a club like Maccabi Tel Avivת we are expected to win titles. We lost the championship and now we have another chance to win the cup.”

Recovering from not winning the title:

“We were disappointed which was normal. We all understood that we didn’t lose the title when we played Haifa but when we had the four draws in a row. We had to switch our attitude and we had some fun as we will later today to make sure we will be ready for the Cup Final.”

The keys to victory:

“We have to score and not concede any goals. That’s what we will try to do tomorrow. I’ll tell y players later what the real keys to the match are. We’ve worked together for five months and we all know what to do.”

Pressure going into the match:

“Not more than usual. When you become the coach of a club like Maccabi Tel Aviv there is always pressure to win, but nothing more than usual.”

This is it. A full season of highlights, excitement, disappointment and hope will come to close on Tuesday May 24th when Maccabi Tel Aviv visits the Capital to face Maccabi Haifa for the State Cup at 20:50. If you’ve booked your place at Teddy Stadium, the you’ve come to the right place. Transportation, shopping and directions to the facility is right here for you.

Yellow & Blue on the Roads!

We’ve put together the easiest, fastest and most comfortable way for you to get to Jerusalem including the “All Roads Lead to Teddy” article letting you know how to get to the match.

The Yellow & Blue Jersey!

Zahavi’s equalizer against Basel, Carlos’s Derby header, Ben Chaim’s curler against Haifa…There were so many great moments in 2015/16 but we have one more that is the sweetest deal around. To make sure you don’t miss out on the last chance to purchase the Official 2015/16 Jersey we’ve put up two sales points at Teddy Stadium where you can pick up the kit for only 119 NIS!

The sales points will be by Section 1: South/West Stand while the Maccabi Trailer will be parked by Section 21.

Police Notice

The police and security personnel will be deployed the afternoon of Tuesday May 24th around the Stadium area in preparation for the State Cup match that will begin at 20:50. Due to the many fans that will arrive for the match from outside of Jerusalem there will be a number of traffic pattern changes in and around the facility.

– Beginning at 18:00 private cars will not be permitted on the streets around Teddy Stadium: Bevenisti, David Ayalon, Beitar Sport Association and Moda’i
– It’s recommended to use the Begin Highway Route 50 towards Gilo
– Private cars will not be allowed into to Malha and Katamon neighborhoods (residents only)
– Private cars will not be allowed to enter the Teddy Stadium and Arena area

Park & Ride

The following parking lots will be available for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans: Zoo parking lot, Israel Railways parking lot, Technological Park parking lot, Egged Malha parking lot. There will be shuttle service directly to and from the Stadium from each of these lots.

Following the match fans can pick up the shuttles back to the parking lots from where they were dropped off when they arrived at the Stadium. The police and security services will be monitoring the parking lots.

Your ticket has the location of your parking lot on the back of the ticket and the police will send you an SMS with this information as well. The police will perform security checks prior to you entering the Stadium and will be responsible for the security and safety of the fans.

It’s recommended that fans arrive early to the Stadium.

We call on all fans that come to the match to abide by the police announcements and to follow the rules and regulations that are put in place to in order to enjoy the sporting event.