Maccabi Haifa Explains Early Substitution of New Signing Bruninho Ahead of Toto Cup Derby

Maccabi Haifa secured a 5-0 victory over Hapoel Kfar Saba in their final warm-up match before the Toto Cup, where they will face Hapoel Haifa on Saturday. Kanji Hura captained the team, signaling potential leadership roles ahead. Bruninho, the club's expensive summer signing, entered the match at halftime but was substituted after just 15 minutes as part of a strategic plan to gradually prepare him for the league start. The club is pleased with his integration into the locker room and expects him to play minutes in the upcoming derby.

Midfielder Pedro requested a substitution due to a groin sensitivity and is expected to leave Maccabi Haifa, who plan to sign a foreign defender in his place. However, Pedro might still be fit for the derby and could start the match. Andrea Novakovic, recently introduced to the team, will begin training with the squad, aiming to complement the efforts of Tsunami. Additionally, Yila Btayi has returned to fitness.

Due to injuries and an incomplete roster, coach Barak Bachar promoted several youth players to the senior squad, including right-back Ayalon Baruch, defender Adar Geist, and left-back Daniel Litman. They join Adam Grimberg, who scored in the match, Noam Shteifman, and Liam Lusky as part of the season's squad. With Sherif Kiyof injured and the anticipated departure of goalkeeper Giorgi Yermakov, youth goalkeeper Mark Golenkov has also started training with the senior team.