Hapoel Be'er Sheva Prepares for Historic Champions League Playoff Clash Against Sabah

Hapoel Be'er Sheva is set to face Sabah in their first leg of the UEFA Champions League playoff on Wednesday at 22:00 in Bucharest, with the match broadcast live on 5SPORT. Approximately 1,000 fans are expected to attend, marking the highest turnout for the Israeli champions during this campaign, which included matches against Vikingur from Iceland and Red Star Belgrade in earlier rounds. Club owner Alona Barkat and head coach Ran Kozuch both expressed high excitement ahead of the game.

Despite the significant financial stakes, with a potential 18 million euros reward if the team advances, the club emphasizes the historic opportunity to finally compete in the Champions League group stage after twice reaching the playoff round but never progressing. Kozuch plans to maintain the same lineup used in the second leg against Red Star Belgrade and stressed the importance of preserving the team's DNA and high-pressure mentality. He also highlighted that this match could be a career milestone for the players.

The team views the first leg against the Azerbaijani side as crucial to gaining a strong advantage before the return match, aiming to build confidence and secure a positive result. The expected starting lineup includes goalkeeper Ofir Marciano; defenders Guy Mizrahi, Miguel Vitor, Itay Rotman, Pedro Amaral; midfielders Lucas Ventura, Niv Yehoshua, Eliel Peretz; and forwards Javon East, Igor Zlatanovic, and Zahi Ahmed.