Hapoel Kiryat Shmona Considers Starting Adrian Ugarriza Amid Stadium Renovation Delays

Hapoel Kiryat Shmona aims to maintain its perfect Toto Cup record with a home match against Bnei Sakhnin on Tuesday. The Peruvian forward Adrian Ugarriza, who debuted this season as a substitute in the previous round, may start for the first time. Despite a strong previous season where he was the league's second top scorer with 18 goals, Ugarriza has yet to attract offers meeting the club's one million euro price tag, making it likely he will begin the season with Kiryat Shmona.

Coach Shai Breda experimented with various lineups in the final training session and plans to rotate players due to the heavy schedule, as this will be the team's third game in seven days. Meanwhile, the club continues to face challenges with its home stadium, which remains under renovation after damage from Hezbollah rockets during the war. This is the fourth consecutive season the team has played home games at the Maccabi Netanya Stadium.

The club has criticized the slow progress of the stadium repairs, especially given the relatively quiet situation on the northern border. However, the local municipality insists the team will return to its home ground early in the Premier League season, targeting either September 14 against Maccabi Haifa or October 10 versus Hapoel Tel Aviv as potential dates for the homecoming.