Maccabi Tel Aviv Faces Crucial Week With Key Matches Against Hapoel Jerusalem and FC Lugano

Maccabi Tel Aviv is preparing for a critical week starting with a challenging league opener against Hapoel Jerusalem on Sunday at the Ra'anana Stadium, where the team has yet to play. The match kicks off at 20:15 and will be broadcast on Sport1. This game follows Maccabi's recent 2-1 loss to FC Lugano in Switzerland on Thursday. The team will face Lugano again in the Conference League qualifying second leg in Batumi in four days, where they must overturn the deficit to advance and avoid an early exit from European competition.

Coach Robbie Miller has not yet finalized the starting lineup for the league opener, sending players home after training without revealing the squad. He is considering changes due to the tight schedule between the Lugano matches and the league opener. Miller also faces a decision on the fitness of defender Tyrese Asante, who was injured on Thursday but trained again on Saturday.

The club emphasized the importance of winning both upcoming games, stating, "A lot is at stake this week, and no matter the lineup or decisions about the starting eleven, we must win both matches. We are entering one of the most important weeks of the season, and every small detail and decision can determine our fate."

Forward Said Abu Freih remains part of the squad but is expected to travel to the United States later this week and likely will not join the team for the Lugano return leg. It is unclear whether he will start against Hapoel Jerusalem, as he did in the Toto Cup match last week, or if Miller will continue with striker Astrit Sulejmani as the main forward and use Abu Freih as a substitute, as was done against Lugano.