Maccabi Haifa Eyes Fifth Win as Key Players Return for Tiberias Clash

Maccabi Haifa is set to host Ironi Tiberias on Saturday, aiming to secure their fourth win in five league matches and head into the international break with 12 out of a possible 15 points. Coach Barak Bachar is expected to make a single change to the lineup that defeated Kiryat Shmona, with Kanga Hoja returning to the starting eleven on the left wing after two games on the bench. This shift will see Bruninho move back to his natural attacking midfield position. Pedro Brazão is slated to make his home debut at Sammy Ofer Stadium after an impressive debut performance.

Andrea Novakovic, who had a subdued performance against Kiryat Shmona, is expected to complete Bachar's attacking trio. Guy Melamed might return to the squad after participating in recent training sessions, though a final decision will be made after the concluding training. Silva Kani remains the preferred option over Melamed thus far. Noam Steifman, who has been called up to the Israeli national team along with Omri Glazer, Yarin Levi, and Eitan Azulay, will play in Saturday's match. He was trained at left-back alongside Nigel Lonwi, with Sunda moving to that position, but the expectation is that Bachar will stick with the same back four from the previous victory.

Maccabi Haifa officials stated ahead of the game, "We are in a process of improvement and connection, and we will try to bring the enthusiasm from the second half of the Kiryat Shmona game. Tiberias is a good, very aggressive team, and we need to be alert." The club also issued a statement addressing fan protests, urging supporters to focus on cheering. The "Green Monkeys" fan organization responded, noting their request for cheering equipment has not yet been approved.

In other club news, Maccabi Haifa monitored the debut of Dickson Mohamed for Hapoel Afula, where he scored his first goal in front of his brother, Ali Mohamed. Dickson Mohamed could potentially join Maccabi Haifa next season. The projected starting lineup includes Glazer; Betay, Lonwi, Sunda, Sa'if; Ali Mohamed, Azulay, Bruninho; Brazão, Hoja, and Novakovic.