Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Slavisa Jokanovic spoke to the local media following the 1:2 loss to Viktoria Plzen.

What did you think were the reasons why you gave up two quick goals after starting so well?

We played well at the beginning but we made mistakes. In this level of the competition when you make mistakes you pay a heavy price. This was not the situation we wanted to start off with.

Mistakes were made tonight, what will you need to do next week in Plzen?

We spoke this week about making sure to not let Plzen catch us off guard and not to give up the first goal and we made sure to practice not to make mistakes and to keep four back defensive unit, but this was a team breakdown.

We have to work together as a team and to be compact. We have players that don't do enough to follow the plan that was laid out before the match. The players have to work together and we can change what we need to for next week. This is a tough completion and we will have to make some changes. We are two goals down and we will have to find a draw or win the next game. I will have to freshen up my team and move ahead.

What can you say about the European dream?

We are at halftime and we will have to find some kind of advantage for the next game. Fortunately we scored a goal and they didn't bury their chance for a third goal so we are still in it. We have to be prepared for anything and everything.

Can you say a few words about Avi Rikan?

He played with energy, he's fast and he's added another dimension to the team. He can also work on our set pieces and he played two different roles tonight and did a good job.

What did you think about Barak Itzhaki and Gili Vermouth's performance?

I had to take a risk and bring in new players in the second half. The team may have been a bit unbalanced but we were able to score a goal.

You and your assistants weren't happy with some of the referee decisions?

This is part of the game and that's not the reason why we lost the match.

This Saturday you will face Hapoel Tel Aviv in the city Derby, how will you prepare?

This is the biggest derby in Israel. I will try and learn as much as I can about Hapoel Tel Aviv as they have a new coach and many new players. I know how important the match is and to make sure we perform well. However, right now it's not as important as the European competition. I want to repeat myself that I understand the supporters feelings but right now we have to concentrate on a match just three days later at Viktoria Plzen.

Veteran striker Barak Itzhaki spoke about the game against Viktoria Plzen in the third round of Champions League qualifying, how they will prepare for next match and of sucre the upcoming derby.

 It's great to score, but unfortunately you lost the game:

 Of course I'm always happy to score but I would have been happier to score another goal. There's nothing you can do. It was not a great result but we know that we can do it and we are a better team. For most of the game we were the better team on the pitch.

 This wasn't a much better team than Maccabi:

Yes and especially at home and we should have taken advantage of that fact. At home we had to win and now it will be a bit harder.

You gave up some easy goals:

There's nothing you can do. It happened. We will learn from our mistakes and come prepared even more for the next match. It will be a very hard game but we believe that we can do it.

How are things going as a team with the new coach?

We are still learning the methodology of the new coach and we've only been together for a month. Things take time. We needed to win this game and take an advantage into the return leg but it didn't happen so things are now going to be a bit more challenging.

When you went down 0:2 it seems like Plzen took their foot off of the gas?

They definitely didn't do that as they wanted to kill the clock and control the ball. We needed to get the ball back and as we did we began going coast to coast to try and score some goals.

Do you think that you, Gili Vermouth and Avi Rikan should have started the game?

It's easy to say that now and look back. Of course I wanted to start the game but it's the coach's decision as to who starts and we will have to prove that we deserve to be in the starting lineup.

How do you feel when management headed off to Switzerland to try and bring a new striker?

It really doesn't bother me and Monas is worth every penny. If he comes great, but it's not in our hands.

What do you think about the upcoming derby?

Derbies are always important both to the supporters and for the club. We have a very important game next week as well and we will have to concentrate on all of the matches.

I don't think we need any motivation to play a derby. Everyone knows what the derby is against Hapoel Tel Aviv. It's a very important game to show that we are working together as a team and it's coming at a good time. It could give us a lot of confidence before heading off to Plzen for the return leg.

New recruit Avi Rikan spoke to the press following Maccabi Tel Aviv's 1:2 loss to Viktoria Plzen in the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League third round qualifying matches.

How did you see the match unfolding?

We didn't want to give up those two quick goals but that's what happened. When I came into the match in the second half I wanted to help out as much as could. Barak Itzhaki and Gili Vermouth also tried their hardest to bring us back into the game.

It was good that we got a goal to keep our Champions League chances alive but we are going to have to play much better next match in order to advance.

You gave up two away goals and you'll have to play in their home Stadium. What will you do?

Next match will be totally different. We will have to take the good things from tonight's game and apply them to next week's game in Plzen.

It seems that Maccabi Tel Aviv always gives up goals and next week you'll have to score and try not to let any in:

We gave up goals and we didn't want to. I agree we will have to work harder in our preparation for the next game in order to score and not to give up any goals.

You have the derby coming up Saturday night:

Yes, we want to make our supporters happy and the match will be different as it's the Toto Cup, but we are playing to win.

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv hosted the Czech Republic champions Viktoria Plzen at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv for the 1st leg of the UEFA Champions League third round qualifying matches. As Maccabi continues to advance in Europe the competition gets tougher and that's exactly what we saw this evening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r89obFBD72E

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Maccabi Tel Aviv came out of the box strong as they sliced and diced their way through the Plzen defense throughout the first 15 minutes of the match. However, the visitors were able to hold their own and not concede a goal as Eden Ben Basat, Tal Ben Chaim and Eran Zahavi all had chances to give the Yellow-and-Blue a lead.

In the 17th minute Plzen's Bosnian striker Aidin Mahmutovic was able to break free from the Maccabi defense and slip the ball past 'keeper Juan Pablo to give the Czech side a shock 0:1 lead. Just four minutes later Plzen doubled the score to 0:2 as Milan Petrzela put the ball into the back of the goal to give the visitors a second away goal. This allowed them to sit back defensively for large portions of the match over the last 70 minutes.

As Maccabi got back into the swing of things they began stringing passes together and creating chances. But they were unable to beat 'keeper Matus Kozacik and what seemed to be a 10 man defensive front for the remainder of the first half.

The second half began with the Yellow-and-Blue making a pair of substitutions bringing in Maccabi's newest player Avi Rikan and Gili Vermouth for Eden Ben Basat and Dor Micha. This allowed coach Slavisa Jokanovic to move Eran Zahavi back to playing a false striker as he did in the match last week against Hibernians that Maccabi won 5:1.

With the home side controlling the tempo they picked up where they left off in the first half getting a number of chances on set plays but couldn't seem to find a way to crack through the Plzen defense. Barak Itzhaki was introduced in the 64th minute for winger Tal Ben Chaim to help Maccabi turn up the offense another notch.

And turn up a notch Itzhaki did with a gorgeous and elegant goal to cut the lead to 1:2! Eran Zahavi  passed the ball to the streaking Itzhaki who knew how to bury the ball behind the hesitant Kozacik in the 79th minute. Maccabi's chances would come fast and furious over the last 10 minutes of play but the Yellow-And-Blue couldn't find the equalizer as Plzen escaped Bloomfield with a 1:2 victory.

Next week the second-leg of the UEFA Champions League third round qualifying matches will be played in Plzen, Czech Republic as Maccabi will try and find a way to win by at least two goals and continue to advance in the competition.

 

Plzen has made sure that everyone knows that the Czech Republic is not just about Prague anymore. Media personality Harel Slutsky is ready for the matchup against Viktoria Plzen and says that we have the opportunity to show the world that Tel Aviv is not just "The City That Never Sleeps" when it comes to our culture

One of my all-time favorite players was the great Pavel Nedved, the former Czech National Team and Juventus star who now works in the administration of the "Old Lady." Luckily, Nedved is not part of the Viktoria Plzen squad, however there are five players that are on the Czech National Team who are trying to guide their side to the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament in Paris. Plzen may also be home to the terrific Pilsner Beer which has made a name for itself all around Europe and throughout the world but we are certainly not talking about a group that will be drunk with a hangover especially when we welcome them to Bloomfield Stadium.

Over the last number of years Plzen has proved that the Czech Republic is not just about the romance of Prague, Skoda, the great Cathedrals and popular Pilsner beer, but the city has won the award for Cultural Capital of Europe in 2015. We will have to show them that that even in our city, Tel Aviv, "The City That Never Sleeps" is up to the challenge and we also have a culture, the culture of football and rooting our team on!

The X-Factor in the match with the Czech Champions, even if you don't agree with Ivri Lider and Shiri Maimon the X-Factor show's hosts (but who asked them anyways) will be the crowd at Bloomfield! The only way Maccabi will be able to secure a "Victory" over "Viktoria" will be with the crowd's amazing energy and passion. (Boy, did I turn into the TV commentator Avi Meller just now…)

Last year we had "Tzuk Eitan" in the way of Maccabi making it past this round in European competition, so let's make sure to cheer the players on as hard as we can for 90 minutes so that the flight to Plzen will be much more pleasant for everyone! And if we have a little hiccup along the way, there are a few phenomenal Synagogues in Prague and in Plzen where we can say some prayers!

Good luck to the Yellow-and-Blue!

 

Coach Slavisa Jokanovic addressed the media about Maccabi Tel Aviv's upcoming UEFA Champions League third round qualifying match against Viktoria Plzen

Are you satisfied with what the club has done in bringing in new players?

 I've already talked about bringing in new players and I'm happy with what everyone has been doing on the pitch. The club has worked very hard on this aspect and I want to concentrate on the match now.

 What are your expectations about the match against Viktoria Plzen?

 I expect and I am sure that my team will do much better tomorrow night on the Broomfield pitch. They will play the best they can and they will find an opportunity to win the game and get a good result.

 Plzen is a tough team and it's not the first time they have played in Europe so they are used to these competitions. We respect our opponents but most importantly we must respect ourselves especially in our home stadium.

 What will be the keys for Maccabi?

We have to work together as a team. We are very fast and we will create chances. We may not dominate the whole game but we will find that moment where we can be most dangerous against Plzen but we must be very carefull.

Will Avi Rikan play tomorrow?

 Avi Rikan and all of the players have a chance to play. He is a great player and has played with Zurich the past two years and has a chance to participate in the game. He will be a very important part of our squad this coming season.

 What formation will you play?

You'll have to buy a ticket to see what we will do on the pitch tomorrow. I don't make changes just for the sake of making them. We have an important and tough team to play against tomorrow and we must know how to play without the ball.

 How is it to work with a player like Eran Zahavi?

Zahavi is very important and it's my pleasure to work with great players. He's our captain but we will be 11 against 11 on the field of play tomorrow and I'm sure he will do a great job for our team.

 What do expect from the supporters at Bloomfield?

 Bloomfield is a noisy place with an amazing atmosphere! We had amazing support last match but tomorrow will be even better. The team plays well in front of its supporters.

 

Viktoria Plzen captain David limbersky and Head Coach Miroslav Koubek spoke to the Israeli and Czech media prior to the team's practice at Bloomfield Stadium.

Questions for David Limberský

What do you know about Maccabi Tel Aviv?

We will let everyone see what we know about them on the pitch tomorrow night.

What do you think about the weather in Israel compared to the Czech Republic and his will that effect the match?

We are not used to the weather here in Israel but we will be ok as we've played before in Tel Aviv a few years ago against Hapoel Tel Aviv.

How have you seen Viktoria Plzen grow since you came over to the club in 2008?

It's hard to compare between now and then but at that time the Plzen management bought players from Sparta Prague and began this nice story of success for us and we hope that this will continue for many years to come.

Questions for Head Coach Miroslav Koubek

Who is the favorite going into these games?

There are no favorites in these matches against Maccabi Tel Aviv. These are two very strong teams, each have players on their national teams and the match will begin 0:0. We have a lot of respect for Maccabi but we also have self confidence ourselves.

What have you learned about Maccabi Tel Aviv and what type of strategy will you use?

We have certain strategies how we will play tomorrow night but you'll have to see on the pitch. Even though Maccabi lost the first game it was clear that they were the better team and we began preparing for them knowing that we would have to play against them.  

 

 

Tonight at 20:30 Maccabi Tel Aviv will take to the Bloomfield Stadium pitch against Czech league champions Viktoria Plzen in the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League third round qualifying matches. Midfielder Nosa Igiebor shared a few thoughts right before this crucial encounter and gave us the keys to victory for the Yellow-and-Blue

"We know how important this game is tomorrow and we're ready both mentally and physically. I think the X-Factor for us to win the game is to stay disciplined and compact. We have to come out motivated and press right from the beginning of the game and play as a team."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxt5pJVwHGc

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When talking about Maccabi's opponent, the midfielder commented: "To be honest I don't know much about Viktoria Plzen other than watching a few of their games on TV. But we will watch videos of the team and get other information about them that coach Jokanovic will give us.

For me every team is beatable and we can beat them at home if we all go out and do our job well. With the fans behind us and playing on our pitch I believe in the team and I believe in the boys. We will all go out there and fight."

Igiebor was very modest in his assessment of his play over the last two games and had a special message for the supporters: "I just want to continue to do my best for Maccabi and the fans. For sure we want all of the fans to come out and cheer for us and that will be a huge motivation. Let them come out to Bloomfield in large numbers!"

Prior to Maccabi Tel Aviv's UEFA Champions League third round qualifying match at Bloomfield Stadium on Tuesday night, the captain of the Yellow-and-Blue Eran Zahavi spoke to the media and discussed the upcoming first-leg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDdMWx94Tsg

Have you and the team been able to adapt to Coach Slavisa Jokanovic's style and expectations?

It's still very early on and at this point of the season, it's not like it's the middle or end of the year so we are still learning what the coach wants us to do. But we will keep improving and get to a point where we are totally attuned to what needs to be done on the pitch.

The last two years Maccabi had problems passing this stage in the competition, what will be different this year?

When we played against Basel and Maribor we could have advanced but in each case we were missing something. Last year we played our home matches in Cyprus, this year we will be at home in Bloomfield so that will be a huge help.

What do you know about Plzen and do you think Maccabi can advance?

Plzen is a well managed team and they have played in the Champions League a number of times over the past few years. We are playing at home and there is no reason why we can't move ahead this year. We want to do well in Europe and we have expectations. I'm not sure who will win, but things are pretty even and we will see what happens on the pitch but hopefully we will advance to the next stage. We will do everything in our power to make sure that we can sit here in another press conference in the middle of August to talk about the Champions League playoffs.

The team brought in Avi Rikan last week, where do things stand with bringing in other players?

I've discussed the situation about bringing in new players before, but we have a great squad here so the club will only bring players in that they feel will help the team. It's up to Jordi Cruyff & Mitch Goldhar to see if that will be the case.

Eran, you look very relaxed at this press conference, how will you be before the match tomorrow night?

In a press condolence I have to be relaxed and calm. Tomorrow on the pitch it's a different story. I believe you'll see a football match at a very high level and I can't wait to play!

 

Bloomfield is ready to burst with excitement for the Champions League third round qualifying match. We've done our final preparations. Everything is ready for the first-leg. Time is standing still. This video will help you pass that time! Ready, set, go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63K-051D6D0