Beersheba needs road victory; Beitar hosts Ra’anana

Hapoel Beersheba’s title hopes could be as good as over should it fail to return to winning ways at Bnei Yehuda on Saturday.

By ALLON SINAI
Hapoel Beersheba’s coach Elisha Levy. (photo credit: Adi Avishai)
Hapoel Beersheba’s coach Elisha Levy.
(photo credit: Adi Avishai)
After falling six points behind Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Premier League standings, Hapoel Beersheba’s title hopes could be as good as over should it fail to return to winning ways at Bnei Yehuda on Saturday.
A stoppage-time equalizer by Hapoel Acre cost Beersheba two precious points last week and Maccabi extended its gap at the top with a 3-1 victory over Maccabi Haifa on Monday night.
Beersheba has surprisingly dropped more points at Vasermil Stadium than it has on the road so far this season. Elisha Levy’s team has won five and drawn two of its seven away matches to date, beating Bnei Sakhnin, Hapoel Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv in its past three road games by a combined goal difference of 10-2.
However, the southerners have won just five of their nine home matches, suffering their one and only defeat of the campaign against Ironi Kiryat Shmona at Vasermil and drawing against the lowly likes of Hapoel Ramat Hasharon, Hapoel Ra’anana and Acre.
Beersheba has very fond memories from its last visit to Bloomfield Stadium just last Monday when it beat Hapoel Tel Aviv 3-1.
Bnei Yehuda presents an easier challenge on Saturday, with the club from south Tel Aviv carrying the entire league on its back.
Nevertheless, Bnei Yehuda will be entering the match with renewed belief after reviving its survival hopes with its first victory in more than four months last week, stunning Bnei Sakhnin 1-0 on the road.
Bnei Yehuda had lost its six previous games, going winless in 14- consecutive encounters.
Third-placed Sakhnin, which had won five of its previous six contests, will look to rebound from its defeat to Bnei Yehuda when it visits Maccabi Haifa on Saturday. Haifa has won just one of its past four matches.
Also Saturday, Beitar Jerusalem, which has recorded just one victory from its last eight games, hosts Hapoel Ra’anana, Maccabi Petah Tikva visits Acre and Ramat Hasharon welcomes Ashdod SC.
Hapoel Tel Aviv hosts Hapoel Haifa on Sunday, with Maccabi Tel Aviv visiting Kiryat Shmona on Monday.