Madmon and Agbadish Out, Almagor Fit: Hapoel Jerusalem Kicks Off
The Reds will face Maccabi Netanya in the Toto Cup (Saturday, 20:30, Sport2). Lior Zada: "We will start to see a glimpse of how we want to play this season."
Hapoel Jerusalem players and staff have returned to Israel following a training camp ahead of the Toto Cup matches. On Saturday, the team faces its first away match against a reinforced Maccabi Netanya (20:30, Sport2).
Ohad Almagor is fit to play after recovering from a minor injury sustained during the final days of the camp. Einau Perada, who is recovering from a long-term injury, continues his rehabilitation and remains sidelined. Ilay Madmon will miss the match due to a slight quadriceps strain, as will Omer Agbadish, who is also dealing with a strain.
The "Reds" received a significant transfer fee from the sale of John Otumao and intend to use the funds to strengthen the squad. Despite the start of the Toto Cup, the club plans to sign several more players before the league season begins.
Head coach Lior Zada stated:
"Beyond physical fitness, the main goal of the camp was to consolidate the team and connect it to the system we are trying to implement this summer. It is clear that we are missing 3-4 significant players, and we are doing everything to bring them in as soon as possible. We are far from finished with the squad construction, but I am very satisfied with the camp. We will start to see a glimpse of how Hapoel Jerusalem will play this season during the Toto Cup; with a little more patience, we will have a good team."
Noam Malmud added: "It was a very successful camp, and we hope to leverage this for the season ahead. We worked very hard and bonded as a group; the staff emphasized the areas we need to work on, and we are returning home much better prepared."
