Maccabi will play second division side Maccabi Ahi Nazareth in the State Cup semi-finals at "Teddy" Stadium in Jerusalem on April 29th

After overcoming the considerable hurdle of a two-legged quarter-final State Cup tie against title rivals Ironi Kiryat Shmona, Maccabi Tel Aviv this evening (Tuesday) were drawn to face second division side Maccabi Ahi Nazareth in semi-finals, a match to be played at the end of April at "Teddy" Stadium in Jerusalem.

After the draw Maccabi head coach Pako Ayestaran said that in light of the fact that his team's objective was to emerge victors in every match of the competition and win the Cup, they were pleased to face any opponent the draw handed them.

Former Maccabi striker Munas Dabbur, now playing for Swiss side Grasshopper, was also keen to comment on a draw that brought together his former club with the one at which he began his footballing career: "I was keeping tabs on the draw from Zurich online and through friends on What's Up. Mixed feelings, those are the only two words that come to mind right now. On the one hand Maccabi Ahi Nazareth is the team I grew up in, like a family, and their fans are all friends of mine. Not to mention the fact that my brother Anas is on their squad. On the other  hand Maccabi Tel Aviv is where I played first-team football, which gave me the chance to play in Europe. It's just a pity it's the semi-final and not the final".

 

 

The morning after Maccabi's 1-0 loss to Beitar Jerusalem, captain Sheran Yeini is already looking ahead to next Monday's home tie against Hapoel Petach Tikva

Shortly after the referee blew the final whistle at Haifa's "Sammy Ofer" Stadium on Maccabi Tel Aviv's 1-0 loss to Beitar Jerusalem, team captain Sheran Yeini spoke about how the game developed: "We weren't in control at the start of the match and it moved from box to box. We had a couple of chances to score and unfortunately we didn't take them. We dominated more in the second half, we posed more of a threat in their half. They all dropped back and it became harder to break through".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZIILf4aNy4

"We knew they'd be fully charged for the tie, they were out to book their place in the top-six playoff. We knew it would be an aggressive match and that the grass would be dry and that they were hoping for a slower pace to the game. Any time we drop points it's disapponting, whether Kiryat Shmona win or lose. We're a team that want to win every time out, we believe our fate is in our own hands, that we have to take all three points from every outing".

Maccabi head coach Pako Ayestaran was asked if his team's overall performance might not have been what he expected of them: "Not the first half, yes, I would like to continue seeing them like in the second half. In the second half I think we had control, we pushed them in their own half and we were not accurate enough in the last third. But we had enough opportunities at least to draw the game. I think a draw would be quite a fair result". To a further comment that his players looked somewhat casual out on the pitch, the Spaniard responded: "No. I think in the last twenty-five minutes of the game, did you see Beitar playing in our own half? Except the last three minutes I think we played in their own half. We were close enough to regain the ball, we arrived to the wide areas, we crossed. We didn't score but I think a draw would have been fair, but at the end fair or not, if you don't score at the end you lose the game. But I take the positive from the last twenty-five minutes of the game".

Despite the team's disappointment at missing the opportunity to increase their four-point lead at the top of the Israeli Premier League table, midfielder Gal Alberman said: "We wanted to take all three points and widen the gap, but apparently we didn't play well enough and the better team got the points. But increasing our lead is not our only concern, it wasn't before the game either. We knew it would be a tough match and we weren't able to produce our best game".

Ticket sales have begun for Maccabi's forthcoming home tie against Hapoel Petach Tikva at Bloomfield

On Monday March 16^th Maccabi Tel Aviv will round off their pre-playoff fixture schedule with a home tie at Bloomfield Stadium at 8.55pm against Hapoel Petch Tikva, currently languishing in one of the two relegation places in the Israeli Premier ("Winner") League table. Maccabi have already insured their first-place finish at the end of the normal season and will be keen to celebrate it with a win.  Ticket sales have already begun at the official Maccabi merchandise shop at 147 Dizengoff St. in Tel Aviv and at the "Leaan" ticket agency, both online and at their Tel Aviv offices at 101 Dizengoff St. If still available, tickets may also be purchased at the Bloomfield Stadium ticket offices on the day of the match.

To purchase your ticket online, click here.

Ticket prices

At the official Maccabi merchandise shop and at the "Leaan" agency ticket offices:

Gates 7/8 – regular price: NIS 100, women / soldiers / children to age 18: NIS 50

Gates 2/13 – NIS 110

Online or by telephone (03-5247373 / 8780*)

Gates 7/8 – regular price: NIS 105, women / soldiers / children to age 18: NIS 55. Discounted tickets are only available by telephone and upon provision of full personal details.

Gates 2/13 – NIS 115

On matchday at the Bloomfield Stadium ticket offices (if available):

Gates 7/8 – regular price: NIS 100, women / soldiers / children to age 18: NIS 50

Gates 2/13 – NIS 110

Tickets ordered online or by phone can be collected at the "Leaan" offices up till 1pm on Friday Feb 27^th, or printed out on your home computer.

Ticket holders are requested to arrive to the match early in order to avoid long queues at stadium entrances close to kick-off.

Print out your own tickets at home

Tickets purchased online can also be printed out on your home computer. If after having placed your order online you choose the "print at home" option, confirmation of your order will be sent immediately to your latest reported email address, including a file of your ticket for printing in PDF format. This file must be opened promptly and printed out on an ordinary A4 printer. If your confirmation does not appear immediately in your inbox, be sure to check the "junk" or "spam" sections of your email before making further enquiries.

Once printed your ticket may be brought directly to Bloomfield Stadium for entrance into the stadium. Each printed ticket entitles the holder to one entry into the stadium, any subsequent attempts to enter with additional prints of the same ticket will rejected by the electronic devices at each gate.

Opening hours

The official Maccabi Tel Aviv merchandise shop, 147 Dizengoff St. Tel Aviv – Monday to Thursday 10am to 8pm, Fridays 9.30am to 3pm

The "Leaan" agency ticket offices, 101 Dizengoff St. Tel Aviv – Monday to Thursday 9am to 7pm, Fridays 9am to 1pm

 

 

 

Everything looked done and dusted. Midfielder Eran Zahavi put Maccabi in the lead and 27,000 Maccabi fans were ready to celebrate with their beloved team yet another Maccabi victory. And then just as the match referee was ready to take the whistle in his mouth, Beitar's Omer Atzili headed home the equaliser in a dramatic 1-1 draw. So what do the match numbers at Maccabi's first encounter with Beitar Jerusalem at Haifa's "Sammy Ofer" Stadium tell us? And what does that all mean for round 2, to be played out tonight? Have a look.

 

 

Maccabi midfielder Nikola Mitrovic is ready for the team's fourth match at "Sammy Ofer" Stadium, tomorrow at 8.55pm against Beitar Jerusalem: "If we have a few opportunities we must score before"

A little over three months have passed since Beitar Jerusalem's Omer Atzili scored a 94^th minute equaliser at Haifa's "Sammy Ofer" Stadium to earn his side a point against "home" side Maccabi Tel Aviv. Tomorrow at 8.55pm at the very same Stadium, Maccabi will face the very same club for a second time, this time as the visiting team. Returning to the squad from a three-match suspension will be Maccabi's Serbian midfielder Nikola Mitrovic: "I didn't play three games because of suspension of the red card and I am ready to give my best to continue the same way," he revealed in a pre-match interview for the official Maccabi website. "We must win against Beitar, but not only against Beitar, also against other opponents. If you want to be champions you must win more or less all games".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZanc9hVtro

As for the last encounter between the two clubs, Mitrovic said: "It's true we had a difficult game. They had luck, they scored in the last minute, but I think this game we should finish early. If we have a few opportunities we must score before and it will be easier for us".

Maccabi have played at Haifa's brand new "Sammy Ofer" Stadium three times this season, drawing the first time, winning the second and losing the third. Does the Israeli Premier league's player of the month January believe the team can now change that balance for the good? "I think so. It will be a positive score when we win a second time". And with the play-off matches just on the horizon, the fans will be expecting the team to carry on in that form. Mitro: "Of course. I think we're going to do it and continue the same way we normally used to do".

 

With the encounter against Beitar Jerusalem already imminent, Maccabi Tel Aviv have not forgotten another very significant event taking place today: International Women's Day. So what do the Maccabi players have in store to mark this very important occasion? And what role do the women in their lives play in their footballing careers? You can get all the answers in this video clip below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8gdHQuwzzk

Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club wish to express their regard for all women on this very important day. 

Maccabi Tel Aviv's rock solid central defender Eytan Tibi is now in line for his fourth consecutive Israeli Premier League championship but is looking ahead to even greater glory: "Maybe we'll win the treble this year". Ahead of Maccabi's contest tonight against Beitar Jerusalem, Tibi recalls the two teams' first 2014/15 season encounter in December, reviews the many hurdles he's had to overcome in his career, talks about his defensive partnership with fellow centre half Carlos Garcia and shares his feelings about the special chant the Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters have created for him.  For all the details, watch the clip below (in Hebrew):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awMK7KmFPXc  

At the press conference ahead of Maccabi's Monday night encounter with Beitar Jerusalem, head coach Pako Ayestaran was reminded of Beitar's last-minute equaliser last time around: "we have to adapt to the new way they are approaching the games"

Tomorrow (Monday) night at 8.55 pm, Maccabi Tel Aviv will appear at Haifa's "Sammy Ofer" Stadium for the second time this season to face Beitar Jerusalem in gameweek 25 of the Israeli Premier ("Winner") League. Tomorrow, as back in December, the neutral venue is the result of the host's home-venue ban. Midfielder Gili Vermouth and striker Radi Prica are still unavailable for Maccabi through injury, with winger Tal Ben Chaim also in doubt. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwB331ushDY

Moments before Maccabi's final practice ahead of the match, head coach Pako Ayestaran and ex-Beitar midfielder Dan Einbinder appeared at the pre-match press conference. The coach was first asked if Maccabi's persuasive 3-0 victory over Kiryat Shmona in the return leg of the State Cup quarter final last week had reduced the pressure on his team: "It probably will be for a few days. You know that here the pressure goes up and down depending on the results and depending on the performances. In this case if it doesn't come back it will be a sign that we are doing well, but you never know what is going to happen in the future. We shouldn't take anything for granted. We know that it's going to continue being difficult. We cannot take our foot off the gas because we have to keep our pace independently of what the rest of the teams do. This is our way and it's not a signal to think everything is done".

 

Pako also had a word to say about the last-gasp Beitar equaliser that denied Maccabi the full three points the last time the two teams met: "It was a game that looked finished and they drew in the last minute. But you cannot take too many things (from that match), especially for a team that has changed coaches. Now I think they are playing differently and we have to adapt to the new way they are approaching the games. They are really well organised. They are a team that know how they want to approach the game. They know where they want to regain the ball and the way they want to make the break and we will have to be ready for that. But I think it's going to be a difficult game, especially because it was a team that was built to fight for the championship and the players are still there. In this case it's not going to be easy".

The Spaniard was also reminded that there were rumours that as part of the deal that saw Gili Vermouth move to Maccabi from Hapoel Tel Aviv, the player sitting next to him, midfielder Dan Einbinder, might be going the other way. Is the coach happy he wound up staying? "Of course. He has the character to show that he's a player that is capable enough to break into this squad and into this line-up".

Einbinder himself preferred to begin by addressing himself to Monday night's encounter against the club where he began his footballing career: "I'm sure Beitar will go into the match with a lot of determination and very motivated, maybe even more so because of recent rattling events at the club. Quite a bit has changed since I was there. Beitar are a big club with a loyal fanbase that will all pitch up for the match. Our job is to do what we like doing most – winning".

As for his recent improvement in form that has seen him return to the squad and the first eleven, the midfielder added: "My job is to show the coaching staff that I'm good enough to play. Last year I was central to the great season we had. My injury at the start of this season was bad timing of course because we were just changing coaches, but anyone who knows me also knows I'm a strong guy with a strong character. I've worked hard to impress the staff and I'm glad that in the two Cup ties against Kiryat Shmona we played well, me included. I want to carry on playing till the end of the season to keep up my confidence".

Now that Maccabi have won the tie and reached the State Cup semi-finals, Einbinder was keen to share his feelings about the significance of the team's success: "It's important for us to perform well at every match. That's the way the coach wants it. That's what he wants from us and it's up to us to put that into practice. In the return leg against Kiryat Shmona we did it in the best possible way, we didn't even give them a hope of scoring. But that's history now, now we're looking ahead to Beitar"..