Tension at Hapoel Be'er Sheva: "Preparing for a game of a different nature"
The Israeli champion will fly this afternoon to Belgrade ahead of the return leg against Red Star: "We will have to defend more, I hope we can play our football there too." Efforts continue to sign a foreign defender and midfielder.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva stepped up its preparations over the weekend for the third qualifying round return leg of the Champions League, which will take place the day after tomorrow in Serbia against Red Star Belgrade. This morning, the team will hold another training session at the 'Red House' in Be'er Sheva, and later in the afternoon, they will arrive at Ben Gurion Airport ahead of the flight to Belgrade.
Unlike the last two matches, in which Hapoel Be'er Sheva hosted in Hungary and had to endure long journeys on the way to their home game, this time the trip is expected to be more comfortable, provided there are no delays in departure.
"We are preparing for a game of a completely different nature. The last two games against Víkingur and against Red Star were our home games. It was possible to play football and control the game. It is clear that this time, in an away game in Belgrade, we will have to defend more, protect our goal, and launch quite a few counterattacks. I hope we can play our football in Belgrade as well. That is the goal of Hapoel Be'er Sheva on every pitch," a player on the team said last night.
Matan Baltaxa, who was sent off last Tuesday in the first match against Red Star, will miss the game the day after tomorrow. In his place, the new Portuguese left-back Pedro Amador is expected to start, having come on as a substitute last week, marking his first start for Hapoel Be'er Sheva. In other positions, no changes to the lineup are expected.
In parallel with the preparations for the match, Hapoel Be'er Sheva continues negotiations to add a foreign defender and midfielder so that they are with the team's squad before the pair of playoff matches in the Champions League or the Europa League.
