Maccabi Haifa Considers Registering Novakovic as Trialist Ahead of Toto Cup Match

Maccabi Haifa is set to face Bnei Sakhnin on Saturday in the final group stage match of the Toto Cup. The team, coached by Barak Bachar, arrives following their first victory against Ironi Tiberias. Bachar will have Brazilian defender Tsunami back in the starting lineup after recovering from a mild concussion. The status of Manuel Benson will be decided after the final training session, though he has been training fully so far.

Two players, Ali Mohamed and Omri Glazer, remain doubtful. Glazer, who was involved in a minor car accident on the way to training and did not practice, is expected to rest on Saturday. Mohamed has returned to training, but the coaching staff is debating whether to include him in the squad or give him rest; he is not expected to start, with Navot Retner likely to get playing time instead.

Notably, Serbian-American striker Andrea Novakovic, who has not yet been registered with the Israeli Football Association due to the foreign player quota, may be registered as a trialist for the match. Novakovic recently recovered from a virus, and the coaching staff aims to integrate him before the league season begins. In the last game, Guy Melamed started but suffered a cramp and might be rested for this fixture.