Barda: "This is the place where Hapoel Tel Aviv needs to be - fighting for titles"

Hapoel Tel Aviv will try tomorrow (Sunday, 20:00) to take another step towards a first title this season, when they meet Kiryat Shmona in the Toto Cup semi-final. The Reds arrive at this event just before the European challenge against Atalanta in the Conference League playoffs, and therefore will need to manage the load correctly without taking their foot off the gas.

Elyaniv Barda said ahead of the match:

"A semi-final is always an exciting occasion. We want to bring the good things we did in the last games and continue to improve where possible. The schedule is tight and challenging, but this is exactly the place where a club like Hapoel Tel Aviv needs to be - in decisive matches and in the fight for titles. We will give all our attention to the upcoming game because we know that if we lose focus for a moment, we will be punished."

Roy Korine also addressed the meeting:

"It is exciting to return to play in front of our fans in the country, we know that a difficult game awaits us and we are ready for it. We will come to do the job in the best way possible with the goal of achieving a place in the final."

Barda did not practice a fixed lineup ahead of the match, and will likely make the final decisions based on the physical condition of the players. With about 9,000 fans expected to arrive in Netanya, Hapoel Tel Aviv does not intend to field a secondary lineup, but the coach may make three to four changes to balance the desire to reach the final with the need to save energy ahead of Atalanta.