Local Soccer: Haifa visits K8 with Hap TA looking to gain ground

Maccabi Haifa will look to get its championship campaign back on track on Saturday evening when it travels to play Ironi Kiryat Shmona.

By ALLON SINAI
Maccabi Haifa 224.88 (photo credit: Berney Ardov)
Maccabi Haifa 224.88
(photo credit: Berney Ardov)
Maccabi Haifa will look to get its championship campaign back on track on Saturday evening when it travels to play Ironi Kiryat Shmona. Haifa still sits atop the Premier League standings, but has seen its gap shrink to three points after winning just twice in its last six matches, and losing 2-0 at Maccabi Netanya last week. Elisha Levy's team was especially disappointing against Netanya, but the coach, who received most of the blame for last week's loss, will be confident of returning to winning ways against a Kiryat Shmona team winless in its last 12 matches. "I don't know of one person who never makes mistakes. I also make mistakes, but nothing I say can excuse our performance in Netanya," said Levy, who will make wholesale changes to the lineup which started against Netanya. Hapoel Tel Aviv lost an excellent opportunity to close in on Haifa last week when it could only manage a 1-1 draw with Maccabi Petah Tikva. Eli Gutman's team hosts Bnei Sakhnin on Saturday and is a big favorite to claim all three points and, at the very least, keep pace with Haifa. Maccabi Tel Aviv will be hoping to rebound from the disappointing 2-1 home loss to Hapoel Petah Tikva when it visits Ashdod SC, which will be in an upbeat mood after defeating Sakhnin last week for its first league win in more than two months. Also Saturday, Bnei Yehuda hosts Maccabi Petah Tikva and Hakoach Amidar Ramat Gan visits Hapoel Petah Tikva. On Monday, Betar Jerusalem hosts Maccabi Netanya at Teddy Stadium.