Maccabi Haifa Struggles Against Top Teams, Excels Against Others
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
Maccabi Haifa has experienced a dramatic drop in performance against top Israeli soccer teams, losing all nine points available this season against rivals like Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, and Hapoel Tel Aviv. This contrasts sharply with their perfect record against all other league opponents. Coach Barak Bakhar's tenure has been marked by this inconsistency, with a historical struggle against top clubs. The team's next challenge is a match against Beitar Jerusalem.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Maccabi Haifa has earned 0 points from 9 against top Israeli soccer teams this season.
- The team has a perfect 18 points from 18 against all other league opponents.
- Coach Barak Bakhar's record against top rivals shows a 28.2% success rate over 26 games.
- Maccabi Haifa recently lost 2-1 to Hapoel Tel Aviv, following a 5-2 defeat to Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
- The team faces Beitar Jerusalem before the end of the first round of matches.
Maccabi Haifa suffered their third loss to a championship contender this season, falling 2-1 to Hapoel Tel Aviv on Monday. This defeat follows a 5-2 loss to Hapoel Be'er Sheva a week prior and complicates the team's standing under coach Barak Bakhar, who recently led the team to the top of the league table. The team's performance shows a stark contrast between games against top rivals and those against other league teams. Against the "big" teams, Maccabi Haifa has secured zero points out of a possible nine, with a goal difference of 4-10, resulting in a 0% success rate. In contrast, against all other teams, they have achieved a perfect record, earning 18 points from 18 possible, a 17-6 goal difference, and a 100% success rate.
This pattern mirrors the 2024/25 season, where a significant gap existed between Maccabi Haifa's performance against top teams and weaker opponents under Bakhar. The article details Maccabi Haifa's losses to top teams: 3-1 to Maccabi Tel Aviv, 5-2 to Hapoel Be'er Sheva, and 2-1 to Hapoel Tel Aviv. Their victories against other teams include wins over Hapoel Ramat Gan, Hapoel Petah Tikva, Kiryat Shmona, Tiberias, Hapoel Jerusalem, and Maccabi Petah Tikva.
Barak Bakhar returned for his second stint with Maccabi Haifa in the summer of 2024, was dismissed in May 2025 after a derby loss, and then returned for a third tenure in October after Diego Flores was fired. Since his return from Red Star Belgrade, Bakhar's record against other top teams includes 5 losses, a draw, and a win against Maccabi Tel Aviv (4 points from 21), 4 losses, a draw, and 2 wins against Beitar Jerusalem (7 points from 21), 4 losses, 2 draws, and a win against Hapoel Be'er Sheva (5 points from 21), and 2 wins and 3 losses against Hapoel Tel Aviv (6 points from 15). Overall, in 26 games against these rivals, his record is 6 wins, 4 draws, and 16 losses, accumulating 22 out of a possible 78 points, or 28.2% success. This season alone, his record against the top teams is 0 points from 9, with a game against Beitar Jerusalem still to come before the end of the first round.
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