Local Soccer: Mac TA travels to Andorra for UEFA Cup

"We're playing a team we're unfamiliar with, but we can't underestimate them," says coach Eli Cohen.

By ALLON SINAI
uefa 88 (photo credit: )
uefa 88
(photo credit: )
The Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer club will look to take a significant step towards the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup on Thursday evening. The yellow-and-blue will visit the Andorran side Santa Coloma in the first leg of the competitions qualifying round. They will be aiming to record a convincing victory that will put the tie beyond doubt long before the return leg is played at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Avi in two weeks. "We're playing a team we're unfamiliar with, but we can't underestimate them," coach Eli Cohen said ahead of the match. "The result of the match depends on us and we will be focused and composed." Maccabi, which flew to the match direct from its training camp in the Netherlands, is a massive favorite against the Andorran runner-up. They are expecting to win both legs of the matchup with ease. New goalkeeper Dragoslav Jevric and last season's Premier League top scorer Yaniv Azran, who joined Tel Aviv from Ashdod SC just last week, will not take any part in Thursday's match. Maccabi failed to register the players with UEFA before the deadline date of July 10. Maccabi will introduce a new player in the match against Santa Coloma. Striker Yannick Kamanan, who signed in the summer for Tel Aviv after leaving Maccabi Herzliya at the end of last season, will make his debut for Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday night.