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

Hapoel Be'er Sheva is determined to rebound from their heavy loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv when they face Hapoel Petah Tikva on Sunday evening in the fourth round of the Israeli Premier League. The team aims to start the season on a positive note, with players emphasizing the need to secure a win.

"We need to put the game against Maccabi Tel Aviv behind us and go into this difficult away game to take the points," one player stated. "Any result other than a win will create a problem for us at the top of the table, and that's before the Europa League even begins."

Coach Ran Kochav will implement several lineup changes for the match, partly due to the unavailability of three key players: Lucas Ventura and Itay Rotman are injured, and Eliel Peretz is suspended. The team highlighted its squad depth as a reason for confidence despite these absences.

Anticipated changes include Forson Amankwah starting in midfield alongside Zahy Ahmed, with Niv Yehoshua moving to a defensive role. In defense, Djibril Diop is expected to replace Rotman. Although Igor Zlatanovic is returning to the squad, Adrian Butnaru is likely to retain his place as the starting striker.

Following the Hapoel Petah Tikva match, Be'er Sheva will travel to Romania to face Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday in their Europa League opener. They will then return to league play on Saturday against Ironi Kiryat Shmona before the international break.