Week 12 brings us a match on Dec 5th, where Maccabi Tel Aviv will travel to Jerusalem to battle Beitar Jerusalem in a meeting of these two Ligat ha’Al teams. Weather on match day is looking like a windy and cool day, with daytime temperatures of only 12 degrees, which is great football weather. In their last match, Beitar Jerusalem recorded a 0-2 loss against Bnei Sakhnin. Guy Melamed struck first for Bnei Sakhnin in the 35th minute on a feed from Marwan Kabha, then Beram Kayal added another in the 45th minute In the end, Beitar Jerusalem was frustrated by Bnei Sakhnin’s defence and couldn’t put any tallies on the board. Bnei Sakhnin ended the match with the shutout victory. Beitar Jerusalem is looking for direction having earned 12 points in their last 10 matches, while in their last match, 6th placed Maccabi Tel Aviv, recorded a 1-1 draw against Hapoel Nazareth Illit. Tal Ben Haim scored the first goal for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 25th minute, then Wahib Habiballa tied it up for Hapoel Nazareth Illit in the 39th minute earning Hapoel Nazareth Illit at least a draw. Maccabi Tel Aviv is looking for direction having 4 win and 3 losses in their last 10 matches.
These two teams have not yet played each other this season, so it will be interesting how the match turns out. Last season Maccabi Tel Aviv won the head to head battle with 1 win and 1 draw.
For Maccabi Tel Aviv, their top scorers are Brandley Kuwas and Izuchukwu Jude Anthony, each having 2 goals in their last 5 matches. Beitar Jerusalem’s most prolific scorer has been Yarden Shua. He has netted 3 goals over the last five matches.