Local Soccer: Bnei Yehuda, Hapoel TA meet in battle of red-hot clubs

The two hottest teams in the Premier League face off on Saturday when Bnei Yehuda hosts Hapoel Tel Aviv at Bloomfield Stadium.

By ALLON SINAI
bnei yehuda 88 (photo credit: )
bnei yehuda 88
(photo credit: )
The two hottest teams in the Premier League face off on Saturday when Bnei Yehuda hosts Hapoel Tel Aviv at Bloomfield Stadium. No team has played better and has been more consistent than Bnei Yehuda or Hapoel in the last couple of months and Saturday's encounter will determine which side maintains the winning momentum. Hapoel moved into second position in the standings with a 2-1 defeat of Maccabi Netanya on Monday, closing to within four points of Maccabi Haifa, and can really put the pressure on the Greens ahead of their match on Monday at Maccabi Tel Aviv by cutting the gap to a single point with a victory on Saturday. Hapoel has shown consistent improvement throughout the season and has won three matches in a row, and five of its last seven league encounters. Bnei Yehuda won just one of its first 10 matches and seemed to be destined to fight relegation yet again this season. However, Guy Luzon's team has since won six of seven matches, including its last three, playing some of the best soccer in the country. Third-placed Maccabi Netanya has the perfect opportunity to return to winning ways on Saturday when it hosts rock-bottom Hakoach Amidar Ramat Gan. Netanya has won just one of its last six matches and its championship aspirations suffered a hefty blow last week with the 2-1 loss to Hapoel Tel Aviv. Hakoach has lost six of its last eight matches and Lothar Matthaus will have no excuse if his Netanya team doesn't manage to claim a home win against the weakest side in the league. Tensions will be running high in Petah Tikva on Saturday, when Maccabi hosts Hapoel in the local derby. Maccabi defeated Hapoel 1-0 the first time the teams met this season and will be favored to get the better of its arch-rival for a second straight match, considering Hapoel has lost its last four games. Also Saturday, Betar Jerusalem hosts Ashdod SC and Ironi Kiryat Shmona visits Bnei Sakhnin.