Hapoel Be'er Sheva Faces Hapoel Petah Tikva Amidst Key Absences

Hapoel Be'er Sheva will play away against Hapoel Petah Tikva on Sunday evening in the fourth round of the Israeli Premier League. The team is determined to secure a win and start the year positively following a significant loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv. "We need to put the game against Maccabi Tel Aviv behind us, go into this tough away game, and take the points," a player stated. "Any result other than a win will create problems for us at the top of the standings, even before the Europa League begins."

Coach Ran Kochva made several lineup changes during the final training session. These adjustments are partly due to the unavailability of three key players: Lucas Ventura and Itay Rotman are injured, and Eliel Peretz is suspended. "We have a deep squad, that was the goal. So we need to implement that on the field," team sources said.

It is anticipated that new signing Forson Amankwah will start in midfield alongside Zahy Ahmed, with Niv YOSHUA moving to defense. In defense, Djibril Diop is expected to replace Rotman. Although Igor Zlatanovic is returning to the squad, Adrian Hrvje is likely to retain his position as the striker.

Following the match against Hapoel Petah Tikva, Be'er Sheva will travel on Monday for their Europa League opener against Dinamo Zagreb in Romania on Wednesday. On Saturday, they will return to league play against Ironi Kiryat Shmona, which will be their last game before the international break.