On Sun Jan 8th, in week 17, Sektzia Nes Tziona hosts Maccabi Haifa in a clash of these two extremely mismatched Ligat ha’Al teams. The game day is forecasted to be a cloudy and cool day, with daytime temperatures of only 13 degrees, which will be a great treat for players. In their last match, Sektzia Nes Tziona recorded a 2-3 loss against Beitar Jerusalem. Yoan Stoyanov struck first for Sektzia Nes Tziona in the 6th minute, but T. Zai got the equalizer for Beitar Jerusalem in the 24th minute Finally they completed the comback victory in the 32nd minute on a goal by Ion Nicolaescu to cap off a wild match. Sektzia Nes Tziona is looking for direction having earned 12 points in their last 10 matches, while maccabi Haifa sits at 1st place in the tables. In their last match they recorded a 2-0 shutout win against Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Dean David struck first for Maccabi Haifa in the 16th minute, then Dean David added another in the 53rd minute In the end, Hapoel Be’er Sheva was frustrated by Maccabi Haifa’s defence and couldn’t put any tallies on the board. Maccabi Haifa ended the match with the shutout victory. Maccabi Haifa is on a hot streak lately, having won 9 of their last 10 matches.
Sektzia Nes Tziona and Maccabi Haifa last played eachother at the Sammy Ofer Stadium on the 10th of September. Maccabi Haifa was victorious by a score of 3 to 1. Omer Atzili struck first for Maccabi Haifa in the 21st minute, but Ange-Freddy Plumain got the equalizer for Sektzia Nes Tziona in the 25th minute.
Dean David has been on a hot streak lately. In the last five games, the attacker has scored six goals for Maccabi Haifa. Almog Buzaglo has been the most prolific scorer on Sektzia Nes Tziona in the last five matches with 3 goals.