Maccabi Haifa Seeks Win Before Break Against Maccabi Netanya

Maccabi Haifa will host Maccabi Netanya on Saturday at 5:30 PM, aiming to secure a victory before the international break. The team, coached by Barak Bakhar, is looking to rebound after two consecutive losses to strong opponents, Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Hapoel Tel Aviv. Despite these recent setbacks, the team has generally performed as the favorite in matches against larger clubs.

Key personnel changes are expected for Maccabi Haifa. Midfielder Eitan Azulai will be suspended due to accumulating five yellow cards, with Yarin Levy set to replace him in the starting lineup after four games on the bench. Levy has shown good form as a substitute and is valued by the coaching staff, having also received a call-up to the national team.

Coach Bakhar is keeping his starting lineup close to his chest, opting not to finalize the eleven until the tactical briefing before the game. Eli Dasa and Nigel Lonwijk are confirmed starters, as is Noam Shtayfman, who returns from suspension. Lakinay Seif is favored at left-back over Yella Battai and Tsunami Wanderson, who started the last two matches.

There is also uncertainty on the left wing, where captain Kengi Hura was benched in the last game, with Iyad Halaili starting instead. One of these two will play alongside Pedro Brazão and Andrija Novakovich. Maccabi Haifa is not underestimating Netanya, despite the league standings, acknowledging that Netanya defeated them twice last season and possesses a fast attacking front that could challenge Haifa's defense.

"We are coming off two losses, and we want to continue the second half from Bloomfield also against Netanya. It won't be easy, but we need the points," a source from Maccabi Haifa stated ahead of the match. The projected lineup includes Omri Glazer, Eli Dasa, Nigel Lonwijk, Tsunami Wanderson (or Noam Shtayfman), Lakinay Seif, Ali Muhammad, Yarin Levy, Buroninho, Pedro Brazão, Kengi Hura (or Iyad Halaili), and Andrija Novakovich.