Hapoel Be'er Sheva Prepares for Crucial Champions League Qualifier with Pedro Amador Starting

Hapoel Be'er Sheva is set to face Red Star Belgrade in the second leg of the third qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, holding a narrow 1-0 advantage from the first match. The Israeli champions completed their preparations at the Marakana Stadium, where approximately 53,000 spectators are expected.

Coach Ran Kazu'och plans only one change to the starting lineup from the previous match: new signing Pedro Amador will make his debut in place of the suspended Matan Baltaksa. The rest of the squad remains unchanged, with striker Zahy Ahmed continuing due to his excellent form and recent goals. The attacking trio will include Igor Zlatanovic and Javon East, who is seeking his first goal this season. In defense, Itay Rotman is preferred over Jibril Diop alongside veteran Miguel Vitor, with Eliel Peretz also retaining his spot.

Beyond tactical preparations, Kazu'och emphasized the mental aspect, urging players to believe in themselves. The team acknowledges the challenge but is determined to make history. Players expressed confidence and focus on executing the game plan perfectly, noting that the pressure is mainly on their opponents. Around 300 Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans are expected to support the team in Belgrade. The team did not practice penalty kicks ahead of the match.

The projected lineup for Hapoel Be'er Sheva is: Ofir Marciano; Guy Mizrahi, Miguel Vitor, Itay Rotman, Pedro Amador; Lucas Ventura, Niv Yehoshua, Eliel Peretz; Javon East, Zahy Ahmed, Igor Zlatanovic.