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 to this difficult away game to take the points," a player stated. "Any result other than a win will create a problem for us at the top, and that's before the Europa League even begins."

Coach Ran Kochav will implement several lineup changes due to the unavailability of key players. Lucas Ventura and Itay Rotman are sidelined with injuries, while 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 defense. Jibril Diop is expected to replace Rotman in the backline. Although Igor Zlatanovic is back in the squad, Adrian Grbic is likely to retain his place as the starting striker.

Following the match against Hapoel Petah Tikva, 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 against Ironi Kiryat Shmona on Saturday, before the international break.