Maccabi Haifa Defender Tsunami Nears Return After Injury

Maccabi Haifa's Brazilian defender Tsunami is set to rejoin the team for their upcoming match against Hapoel Jerusalem after recovering from a muscle issue. Tsunami, initially signed as a left-back, struggled in that role but showed promise as a center-back. He played his first league game at center-back alongside Nigel Boakye in a match where Maccabi Haifa kept a clean sheet, with Tsunami also scoring a goal.

He was expected to start in the subsequent game against Ironi Tiberias but reported muscle sensitivity, leading the coaching staff to rest him as a precaution. Now, Tsunami is gradually returning to team training and will be available for selection.

Coach Barak Bakhar faces a decision on whether to immediately reinstate Tsunami into the starting lineup or maintain the current defensive partnership of Boakye and Noam Shtayman. Meanwhile, the club celebrated the wedding of player Eitan Azulai to Hila on Tuesday evening. Azulai is now set to join the Israeli national team for the remainder of the Nations League window.