Moments after the 2:2 away draw at St. Jakob Park, the Maccabi Tel Aviv players couldn't contain their excitement about scoring two away goals with the second coming off a beauty of header by Eran Zahavi in the 96th minute

Next Tuesday's second leg at Bloomfield Stadium will determine who will head to the group stages of the Champions League.

Defender Tal Ben Haim said: "Our game plan worked and we did what we had to do which was to give us an opportunity to advance at Bloomfield in the second leg and I'm happy that we were able to do that."

Ben Haim also spoke about the penalty that was called against him: "The Basel player was able to get in front of me and I didn't see him. I am always my own biggest critic. We knew that we had a goal to achieve and we believed just like we did in Plzen that we could achieve that goal. It certainly won't be easy in the second leg at Bloomfield and we will have to come ready just like we did today."

The defender also spoke about Basel: "They are a very good team. We wanted to be able to make sure that the match at Bloomfield would be our chance to advance and we are happy that we will be able to play at home in front of our supporters in Israel and complete our mission."

Veteran midfielder Gal Alberman also spoke at the end of the match: "We played a very good team game today and we were very prepared to defend for most of the match. We don't have these types of matches in the Israeli league. In these games one has to give a lot of themselves in order to succeed and fight a tremendous amount on the pitch. We didn't have many chances but we did have a few chances to go out on attack with some open spaces. It was a very difficult match but at the end of the day we stood up to the challenge."

Alberman also talked about the return leg: "It was a crazy game, but we have to take into account that the last home game against Plzen was horrible, but in the end we were able to turn around the result in the Czech Republic. We can't dare take our foot off of the gas and try to play for a 'result'. We will have to come prepared just as we were today as our opponent is going to play at a very high level. We saw their pace on the pitch. I think we did great work today and we want to finish the job we started but we also know that it won't be easy."

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Slavisa Jokanovic spoke to the press following the 2:2 away draw in Basel in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Playoff Round

What can you say about Eran Zahavi?

Eran Zahavi is the best Israeli player and began the season fantastic and he is great form and a very important player at this moment. I’ve tried to move him around to different places on the pitch as well. As a team we played very well and Eran scored the goals but the team as a whole did a solid job to get us to that point.

How do you feel about the match?

I try to support my team and I am proud of how my team played. It’s important that this next game is in Tel Aviv and we’ve only played half a game and we did a great job tonight, we’ll rest a bit now and I’m sure we will have a full stadium and play with a clear mind and be smart.

How will you play in the next match?

We will have to play differently in the next game, Basel is a good team but scoring two away goals is very good, but we don’t have an advantage. We only finished the first half and half of the work and in six days we will be at Bloomfield.

How is Nosa Igiebor?

Nosa Igiebor’s injury was picked up in the last game but he should be fine for the next leg. He again did a great job and he will be ready for the next game.

The Yellow-and-Blue captain, Eran Zahavi, who thrilled us all with an incredible brace in a 2:2 draw against Basel didn't hide his satisfaction about the result from the first leg of the Champions League Playoff Round

Number 7 did it again. Maccabi captain Eran Zahavi who scored a brace in the 2:2 draw with FC Basel in the dying minutes of the match was able to bring the deciding match to Bloomfield Stadium but didn't get too excited just yet.

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"I'm happy that we got a good result here in Basel against an excellent club that we saw play terrific football against us," Zahavi said after the match. "One mistake and you pay for it with a goal. But we really tried our best and played a very good game together and I'm happy with the result. However, we aren't going to go too crazy just yet because nothing has been decided. We have only played half of the game and there is another 90 minutes to play at Bloomfield. To get to the Champions League we all have to go through very hard trials and tribulations and I'm hoping that we can do it."

About the 96th minute header goal:

"It's not my typical type of goal but I believed that I could do it and I ran towards the ball. We just have to get to next week and I wish the match was tomorrow already. But we will wait until Tuesday and I hope we can advance."

 Zahavi also talked about his first goal:

"The first goal is a set play that we have worked on in practice and I'm happy that it worked on the pitch during the match. We knew that this match would be very hard here in Basel but I think we got the best out of the game. We changed our style when we had to during the tough moments of the match and we became stronger. When we do this together good things happen."

On the result and the second leg next week:

"I'm like everyone else tonight as I appreciate what we did here in Basel. But only those that played against them really know how good a team they are. I'm very happy with the result but like I said nothing is finished just yet. We are expecting an even tougher match at Bloomfield."

Zahavi also talked about his performance on a personal level:

"I think that there is luck involved. I work very hard at practice, every minute of every single day. The harder I work the more luck comes into play, so I keep working harder and harder. I have to keep raising the bar. I am not afraid of expectations because this is what every footballer has to do, live up to the expectations."

"I expected to be a dominant player again with Maccabi Tel Aviv and get back to myself after a not so good time with the National Team. I think that my smile is back and that I'm having a good time playing the game. I come to the stadium, my family is there and they are proud of me which makes me even happier."

The captain also had a final message to all of the Maccabi fans around the world, Europe and Israel:

"I try to make everyone happy and make them proud of how we play.  I want to thank everyone for their support and make them as happy as we can. I hope people can come and see us play at home in Israel and in Europe. We try to make the Jews in Europe and all of the people in Israel and around the world proud and we will keep working hard for them."

The moment of truth has arrived. Maccabi Tel Aviv plays tonight at 21:45 Israel time against FC Basel in the Champions League playoff round for a ticket to the competition's group stage. Last night the club had their final training season prior to the match and Nosa Igiebor had a chance to share some of his thoughts about the challenges in front of him.

 

 

Ticket sales for the home match against Basel in the Champions League playoffs will be open to the general public this evening. Below are all the details

Ticket sales for the home match against Basel of Switzerland on Tuesday August 25th in the Champions League Playoff round will begin this evening, Tuesday August 18th for the general public.

Tickets will be available via the Leaan website ONLY beginning at 19:00

Ticket prices for sales via the Internet:

Sections 4/11 – 105₪

Sections 2/13 – 155₪

Section 7 unreserved – 125₪

Section 8 – 125₪

Silver Section – 305₪

To order tickets via the Leaan website, CLICK HERE

 

Home Printing

Please make sure your email address is correct.

Once the order is completed a link with the ticket attached will be sent to the email indicated, this may take a few minutes.

If 10 minutes have passed and you have yet to receive the email, please check your Spam mailbox.

Just must print the PDF of the tickets on A4 paper – only one ticket per page.

You will only be allowed to enter the stadium once with a Print at Home ticket which means should you print the ticket multiple times only the first entrance will be valid.

If a new link is emailed to you the older emails will be null and void.

 

 

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Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Slavisa Jokanovic and Avi Rikan spoke to the press prior to their final practice before their UEFA Champions League Playoff Round first-leg match against Basel in Switzerland tomorrow night at 21:45 Israel Time.

Slavisa Jokanovic fielded questions from the Israel and local Swiss press:

We are working together and we will play good football tomorrow. Sometimes we haven't played well but this is a different competition and I'm sure Maccabi will be 100% ready for the match tomorrow and for the second leg next week. Many people believe we can't do anything here in Basel, but I believe we can and we will show some good qualities here tomorrow night.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db8LkNAQl5A

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What do you expect from Basel tomorrow?

We must be ready in case Basel will come and attempt to dominate certain areas of the game but we must be clever and make sure we capitalize on our chances. We can come away with a good result away and then go home to our Stadium with an excellent chance to pass this test. Remember the match is at least 180 minutes over two games.

Has the last few match results affected the club?

Sometimes we are very competitive and play very well and now we are in somewhat the same position after the first Plzen game. I know that our supporters believe in us and this is our chance to play in the Champions League group stages, but now is not the time to surrender. I am here to fight for a chance to play in the Champions League. We must respect Basel, but also respect ourselves.

What have you been doing to better organize the defense?

I am working on some things with the defense and make sure we are better on set pieces. We made some corrections during the Plzen match with these things but I expect that we will be better tomorrow.

What are your final thoughts right before heading into the Playoff matches?

Maccabi Tel Aviv have not arrived here for a holiday. I believe in my team and I'm an optimist. We will work hard to make it into the Champions League.

We must be very proud of the club to have the chance to play in the Champions League and it's one of the most amazing competitions in the world. These can be very important days ahead of us.

Comments by Avi Rikan:

I didn't think I'd be back in Switzerland so fast after leaving Zurich but here I am. Basel changed a bit from last season but they have stayed very strong. We have a lot of respect for them and we have a chance to make it to the Champions League. 

What have you done to change the way of play to get a good result?

What happened in the last two games happened and we are moving forward. Our training staff has prepared us well and we are looking ahead to the match tomorrow. We have a lot of respect for Basel and we will work hard on the pitch.

Final thoughts?

This is a great challenge for us and we want to go to the groups stages so I'd rather here the Champions League anthem then and not just the next two matches.

 

 

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv will face Basel in Switzerland on Wednesday 21:45 Israel time in the first leg of the Champions League playoff with the winner of the two legged tie advancing to the group stages of the Champions League

Prior to the match, The Sports Rabbi Josh Halickman spoke with local journalists Dominic Wuillemin of Berner Zeitung and Tilman Pauls of Basler Zeitung about the Yellow-and-Blue's opponent.

"As soon as we saw that Maccabi was in the draw, we knew that it would be the third time that the two clubs would play each other," Pauls said right at the top of our conversation noting that this would be the fifth and sixth times the two club will play one another on the last two years.

However, the team playing Maccabi now is a bit different than the one that they saw in the past Wuillemin said: "Basel has made numerous changes to its squad. Gone are 'keeper Yann Sommer, Fabian Schar, Valentin Stocker, Fabian Frei and legendary captain #9 Marco Streller has retired. But they did a good job replacing those players with Marc Janko in place of Streller, along with Zdravko Kuzmanovic for Frei and they also brought in Daniel Hoegh and Birkir Bjarnason from Pescara."

 

 

Maccabi fans will always remember Streller's professionalism on the pitch and his goal scoring knack, but as Wuillemin says about his replacement: "Janko is a good player, but I don't think he's an upgrade on Streller as the former captain was important in the locker-room but Janko is an excellent option."

Pauls also discussed Streller's absence on and off of the pitch: "None of the players who scored against Maccabi in the four previous matches are still with the club. Streller was a big influence in the locker-room but sporting wise they replaced their players very well and we've seen that in the first few games of the season already.

 

This year Basel will see a group of players filling the captain's role. 'Keeper Tomas Vaclik, Marek Suchy, Matias Delgado and Zdravko Kuzmanovic who played during his youth days with the club will take on the leadership of the club."

Another change for Basel is at the head coach position. Murat Yakin was the manager when the Swiss side faced off against Maccabi, but since then they hired ex-Maccabi boss Paulo Sousa who led the team last year and now Urs Fischer takes over the reins.

 

 

"The fans are happy that new manager Urs Fischer is much more personable than Paulo Sousa. The supporters thought that Fischer may have been over his head coming from Thun to Basel but he has settled in very nicely. He is a real fan favorite," mentioned Wuillemin.

Pauls expanded on the coaching change and why Sousa left for Italy: "Everyone was happy when Sousa came to Basel last year and they were all happy when he left for Fiorentina. Management wanted to go back to a Swiss coach that knows the league, the teams and the players. Fischer is the opposite of Sousa and they wanted to not only have successful football but they also wanted to see attractive football."

Maccabi fans should watch out for a number of players says Wuillemin: "There hasn't been a standout player this season as Fischer has used over 18 players so far this season. Breel Embolo has had an excellent start and Jean-Paul Boetius is a spectacular player coming over from Feyoonard and may make his debut against Maccabi."

 

 

As to what the Yellow-and-Blue can expect, Wuillemin comments: "There will be about 30,000 supporters for the match and they know that Maccabi will be a very tough opponent. They're familiar with their style of play and can expect tough matches."

Pauls echoed his colleagues sentiments: "You have to remember that Basel began their season almost a month ago and they haven’t lost any matches. They didn't play well in the second leg against Lech Poznan but they still won. This will be a tough tie for both clubs."

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv arrived this afternoon in Basel, Switzerland. The club went to their hotel, ate lunch and then hung out on the lobby, relaxing prior to their final training session this evening.

Monas Dabbur, the club's former striker and currently one of the Swiss league's top players came to visit the Maccabi players at the hotel.

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"It's no surprise that I'm here as I spoke to the players and told them that I was coming to visit them and say hi," the striker said. "I was on my way back from Strasbourg, France and I came by on the way home. Of course I'll also be at the match tomorrow night with my Maccabi jersey and scarf! I was very close to wearing the Yellow-and-Blue once again, it didn't end up happening so I'll be at the game as a fan."

Dabbur gave his former club some tips about Basel:

I spoke to them a lot about Basel. I think that the training staff did their job and prepared them really well for the match tomorrow. Basel is a very tough club with an excellent squad. I told them even before I got here that I have a good feeling about the game tomorrow night.

Dabbur also spoke about his terrific form:

I'm not sure if I'm in the best form of my career because even when I came to Switzerland I was in great form. I'm very happy about my play and I'm going to continue to work very hard to keep it that way. Right now I'm enjoying seeing Maccabi and I'm going to cheer them on.

Dabbur's match prediction:

1:1 with Zahavi scoring for Maccabi