Maccabi Haifa Captain Omri Glazer Expected to Start in Haifa Derby

Maccabi Haifa is set to host the Haifa derby on Saturday at 20:30, with most stands expected to be filled with green-clad fans. Among the new foreign players, only Bruninho and Tsunami will be included in the squad and are likely to feature in the second half. Andrea Novakovic and Nigel Lonwijk will gradually be integrated, while injured Manuel Benson and Wail Tayeh will not be part of the squad.

The foreign players in the squad also include Cedric Don and Pedrao. Defender Pedrao, who complained of groin sensitivity during the match against Hapoel Kfar Saba, is expected to start to demonstrate his fitness to other clubs. Returning to Sammy Ofer Stadium are Omri Glazer and Yarin Levi, both expected to start, with Glazer likely to wear the captain's armband.

For Yair Mordechai, who joined from Ironi Kiryat Shmona, this will be his official debut in the green jersey after showing good form in preseason matches. Adam Grimberg is preferred in the forward line over veteran Guy Melamed, though Melamed is expected to come on in the second half. Iyad Khalaily, who has also impressed so far, is expected to start as the left winger.

The projected starting lineup includes Omri Glazer; Zohar Zasno, Pedrao, Noam Shtifman, Sean Goldberg; Yarin Levi, Eitan Azulay, Yair Mordechai; Cedric Don, Iyad Khalaily, and Adam Grimberg.