In this week 16 match, on Saturday Dec 31st, Hapoel Tel Aviv plays host to Maccabi Netanya in a clash of the Ligat ha’Al. The game day is forecasted to be a cloudy and cool day, with daytime temperatures of only 18 degrees, which will be a great treat for players. Hapoel Tel Aviv sits at 10th place in the tables. In their last match they recorded a 1-1 draw against Bnei Sakhnin. Ante Puljić scored the first goal for Bnei Sakhnin in the 12th minute, then Dan Einbinder tied it up for Hapoel Tel Aviv in the 86th minute earning them at least the one point. Hapoel Tel Aviv is looking for direction having earned 12 points in their last 10 matches, while maccabi Netanya sits at 11th place in the tables. In their last match they recorded a 0-2 loss against Maccabi Haifa. Chery scored the first goal for Maccabi Haifa in the 54th minute, then Dean David added another in the 78th minute In the end, Maccabi Netanya was frustrated by Maccabi Haifa’s defence and couldn’t put any tallies on the board. Maccabi Haifa ended the match with the shutout victory. They’re hoping to improve on their recent performance, having earned only 10 points in their last 10 matches.
Maccabi Netanya and Hapoel Tel Aviv last played eachother at the Winner Stadium on Monday Sep 5th. Hapoel Tel Aviv won by a score of 2 to 0. Alen Ožbolt struck first for Hapoel Tel Aviv in the 39th minute from the penalty spot, then Kayes Ganem added another in the 48th minute on a feed from Hisham Layous In the end, Maccabi Netanya couldn’t muster any offence and Hapoel Tel Aviv ran away with the shutout win.
Maccabi Netanya is glad to have Igor Zlatanović in top form. In the last 5 matches the attacker has scored four goals. Niv Zrihan has been the most prolific scorer on Hapoel Tel Aviv in the last 5 matches with three goals.