On Dec 11th, Ashdod will play host to Ironi Kiryat Shmona in a clash of the Ligat ha’Al. The game day is forecasted to be a cloudy but warm day with daytime temperatures of 20 degrees, a perfect day for football. In their last match, 7th placed Ashdod, recorded a 1-0 shutout win against Maccabi Petah Tikva. Bayo struck first for Ashdod in the 72nd minute on a feed from Kenny Saief, and with that single goal the scoring was complete. Neither team could manage anything else In the end, Maccabi Petah Tikva was frustrated by Ashdod’s defence and couldn’t put any tallies on the board. Ashdod ended the match with the shutout victory. With 17 points in their last 10 matches Ashdod should be reasonably happy with their performance, while in their last match, 9th placed Ironi Kiryat Shmona, recorded a 2-1 win against Maccabi Netanya. Aviv Avraham struck first for Maccabi Netanya in the 2nd minute, then Yadin Lugasi tied it up for Ironi Kiryat Shmona in the 41st minute But luckily in the 94th minute, they were able to complete the comback with a goal by Morgan. Ironi Kiryat Shmona is looking for direction having 4 win and 5 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 Ironi Kiryat Shmona won the head to head battle with 2 wins and 2 draws.
Ironi Kiryat Shmona’s top weapon lately has been Itamar Shviro, who has two goals in the last 5 matches. Ashdod’s most prolific scorer has been Kenny Saief. The American midfielder has netted two goals over the last five matches.