Maccabi Tel Aviv Aims for Sixth Straight Win Against Bnei Sakhnin

Maccabi Tel Aviv will return from the international break to host Bnei Sakhnin at Bloomfield Stadium on Saturday evening, seeking their sixth consecutive victory in the Israeli Premier League this season. The team has achieved five straight wins to start the season, a feat not accomplished in 33 years. Coach Kenny Miller has emphasized the need for patience, energy, and sharpness in front of goal against a Sakhnin side expected to play defensively and counter-attack.

Key players Hili Varela and Ali Mohamed Camara have recovered from injuries sustained before the break and are available for selection. Miller faces a decision on whether to start them, both, or one, and how many minutes to play them, with a challenging away match against Beitar Jerusalem next week in mind. National team players Dor Peretz, Gabi Kanikovsky, and Raz Shlomo, along with Olympic team players Ofek Malika and Noam Ben Harush, have also returned to training, though their starting status is uncertain.

A Maccabi Tel Aviv player acknowledged the challenge of returning from a break, stating, "Coming back from a break is always a challenge. It's like starting everything from scratch. It's very important to continue our streak from the start of the season and win for the sixth time." The new team manager, Raz Ben Shemesh, will be present on the bench for the first time, replacing Yoav Ziv.

Historically, Maccabi Tel Aviv has dominated encounters with Bnei Sakhnin, holding a significant lead in wins. Sakhnin's last away victory against Maccabi Tel Aviv was in December 2004. Maccabi Tel Aviv is the league's only perfect team, having won all five of their matches. However, they have not kept a clean sheet this season, conceding at least one goal in their last eight league games dating back to last season. Bnei Sakhnin enters the match after their first win of the season but has struggled on the road, with no away victories in the current calendar year.