On the 21st of January, Maccabi Bnei Raina plays host to Beitar Jerusalem in a clash of these two mismatched Ligat ha’Al teams. The game day is forecasted to be a cloudy and cool day, with daytime temperatures of only 11 degrees, a perfect day for football. In their last match, 14th placed Maccabi Bnei Raina, recorded a 0-3 loss against Ashdod. Mohammad Kna’an struck first for Ashdod in the 20th minute on a penalty, then Naor Sabag added another in the 41st minute At the end of 90 a dissapointed Maccabi Bnei Raina couldn’t manage to score, and Ashdod took the shutout win. They’re hoping to improve on their recent performance, having lost 6 of their last 10, while beitar Jerusalem is fresh off their 2-2 draw against Maccabi Tel Aviv. Yarden Shua scored the first goal for Beitar Jerusalem in the 29th minute on a penalty, then Eran Zahavi tied it up for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 40th minute on a penalty . Beitar Jerusalem is looking for direction having earned 15 points in their last 10 matches.
In their last match together, in Teddi Malcha Stadium, Maccabi Bnei Raina was victorious by a score of 3 to 2. Ion Nicolaescu struck first for Beitar Jerusalem in the 8th minute, then Josua Mejías tied it up for Maccabi Bnei Raina on an own goal in the 44th minute Finally they completed the comback victory in the 94th minute on a goal by Loei Halaf to cap off a wild match.
Beitar Jerusalem is glad to have Ion Nicolaescu in top form. In the last five matches the midfielder has scored 6 goals. Richard Boateng and Shlomi Azulay are the top scorers for Maccabi Bnei Raina in the last 5 matches, but unfortunately they only have one goal.