The top flight of Israeli football brought us a spectacular campaign last season as Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv entered the Championship Round with just one point between them. Maccabi Haifa managed to preserve the top spot thanks to superb post-season displays. They went unbeaten in ten games after the regular part of the season and deservedly won the title being four points clear off runners-up Maccabi Tel Aviv at the end.
Maccabi Haifa thus won their first Premier League title in a decade, finally ending the dominance of Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Maccabi Tel Aviv who have won eight of the last nine trophies since the 2010/11 season.
The landmark 80th season of the Israeli elite class starts in late August and we have teamed up with betting experts at leading betting tips UK site to predict what might happen. Get ready for a campaign packed with drama, comebacks, and spectacular affairs. Stay tuned to see where each of the 14 teams stands before the start of the campaign.
Maccabi Haifa
Despite suffering an unexpected elimination at the very start of their UEFA Champions League qualifications journey to Kazakhstani Kairat, Maccabi Haifa come into the new season in the highest of spirits. On paper, they look even stronger than last year with the additions of Ben Sahar (came in a free transfer from Hapoel Be’er Sheva), Ali Mohamed (influential defensive midfielder from Beitar Jerusalem), and Dean David (striker who scored 9 goals last season for Ashdod).
The league’s top two scorers from the previous term Nikita Rukavytsya and Tjarron Chery are still at Sammy Ofer Stadium and we can hardly see any other scenario but Maccabi Haifa defending the 2020/21 title at the end of the season. Since we mentioned Sammy Ofer Stadium, we have to praise Maccabi Haifa's tremendous record there. They won 14, drew 3, and lost only 1 of 18 home matches in the previous term of the Israeli Premier League. Backing them whenever they play in their own backyard is always a great idea. Backing them to win the second consecutive title may even be smarter (safer).
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv earned the domestic double (Premier League & League Cup) in the 2018/19 season. They won only the Premier League two years ago and they took both cups (losing the league, though) in the previous season. Maccabi Tel Aviv are always aiming for the trophies and they will enter this season with high expectations as well.
However, we do have plenty of reasons to question these ambitions. The team lost several highly important players this summer, including the top scorer Aleksandar Pesic and the top assister Dan Biton. Moving forward, Maccabi Tel Aviv will also need to adjust to life without influential midfielder Dor Peretz (7 goals in 34 appearances last season) and center-back Eitan Tibi (who went to direct rivals Hapoel Be’er Sheva in a free move). With all these absences, we’d not be surprised to see Patrick van Leeuwen’s troops struggling at the start of the new season. We would definitely not back them to win the Premier League title. We’ll be brave enough and even say they won’t even make the top-two finish this time around.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva
Hapoel Be’er Sheva failed to earn the top-three finish in the Israeli top tier for the first time since the 2012/13 season. They had a dreadful campaign last season, barely even avoiding the Relegation Group in the regular season. They are ready for a fresh start under Ronny Levy this time around (his first full season at the helm).
Hapoel made a lot of changes in between the two seasons, namely in the defense. They sold goalkeeper Ohad Levita, left-backs Dudu Twitto and Shon Goldberg, and center-back Loai Taha to recently-promoted Hapoel Haifa. Levy will also need to find a way to replace the team’s top scorer from the previous term, Josue. The former Wolfsburg midfielder made a move to Polish champions Legia Warsaw this summer.
Overall, we do expect a better season for Hapoel Be’er Sheva mainly because it is tough for them to do worse than last year. They should by no means challenge the reigning champions at the top of the standings, but the battle for the runners-up spot could be on the cards.
Potential Upsets
Ashdod enjoyed their best-ever season under Ran Ben Shimon last year. They made the top-three finish only for the second time in their history (the first time since the 2004/05 campaign). Despite losing the top scorer from the last season (Dean David signed for the champions Maccabi Haifa), Ashdod should have a lot to say in the 2021/22 campaign. We would even not be surprised to see them complete the top-three finish for the second year running.
Hapoel Haifa could also be very entertaining to watch this season. They had a disappointing campaign last time out, finishing 9th out of 14 teams. However, they showed strong ambitions ahead of the new season, signing some fantastic prospects such as Noam Cohen (one of the best players for Maccabi Tel Aviv last season, came on a loan deal), Saikou Touray (came from champions Maccabi Haifa), and almost full back line (including the goalkeeper) from Hapoel Be’er Sheva this summer. If you are looking for a potential longshot, Hapoel Haifa to finish inside the top four has to be your best call.
Promoted Teams & Main Relegation Candidates
It will be very interesting to see Hapoel Jerusalem back in the elite class of Israeli football for the first time in 21 years. We can’t wait to see huge derbies between bitter city rivals Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Jerusalem in the upcoming campaign. Beitar should have what it takes to stay in the elite for longer than a year. The other promoted outfit, Hapoel Nof HaGalil, are our main contenders for the drop, alongside Bnei Sakhnin.
The Best Outright Bets
To sum it all up, we decided to put our main outright predictions in one place.
- Maccabi Haifa to defend the title (the best outright pick)
- Hapoel Haifa to finish inside the top four
- Hapoel Nof HaGalil to be relegated