Soccer: Betar/Shimshon Tel Aviv hoping to upset Maccabi in the Cup

The minnows of Israeli soccer will get a rare glimpse of the limelight on Tuesday and Wednesday in the ninth round of the State Cup.

By ALLON SINAI
Betar 224.88 (photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
Betar 224.88
(photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
The minnows of Israeli soccer will get a rare glimpse of the limelight on Tuesday and Wednesday in the ninth round of the State Cup. The clubs from the country's lower divisions will be looking to do some giant killing against their illustrious Premier League opponents, who will be getting their first taste of the cup this season. The main match on Tuesday will see Maccabi Haifa visit Maccabi Petah Tikva in one of the ninth rounds three all-Premier League ties in this round of 32. Haifa has lost three of its last four league matches, including a 2-0 defeat to Hapoel Tel Aviv on Saturday. Petah Tikva hasn't fared much better recently, winning just once in its last 10 league matches. The romance of the cup, however, has far more to do with shock results recorded by tiny clubs rather than the way the bigger teams fare. One team confident of its chances of causing a surprise is third division Betar/Shimshon Tel Aviv. Betar/Shimshon hosts its famous neighbor Maccabi Tel Aviv on Tuesday and is obviously anything but equally matched with its opponent. Veteran Betar/Shimshon striker Ofer Shitrit, who used to be one of the Premier League top scorers, wasn't prepared, however, to rule out his side's chances of a surprise victory. "I believe that in soccer anything is possible. On paper Maccabi is obviously better, but I want to win every match I play. We will do our best and hopefully cause a shock. There's always a Cinderella story in the cup." On Wednesday, fourth division Hapoel Umm el-Fahem, which regularly attracts several thousand fans to its matches, visits high-flying Maccabi Netanya. Umm el-Fahem has eight Jewish players on its team, most of them with plentiful Premier League experience. Rafi Cohen, who scored for Maccabi Haifa at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the Champions League, Yaniv Aberjil and former Netanya midfielder Kfir Tzukul are just three of the names Netanya will have to be wary of on Wednesday. Also Wednesday, Betar Jerusalem goes up north to face Bnei Sakhnin in the match of the round.