Maccabi Tel Aviv set for Champions League opener
Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv begin their Champions League campaign tonight when they take on the amateurs of Santa Coloma.
UEFA switched the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round tie from Israel to Andorra due to the current situation in the Middle East, with Maccabi and Santa Coloma both agreeing to exchange venues for the home and away legs.
The only other meeting between the two provided the Andorrans with their only European win back in 2007. However, despite falling to a 1-0 defeat, the Israelis ran out 4-0 winners in the second leg.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s game, Tel Aviv coach Oscar Garcia said: “They have a lot of Spanish players. Spanish players know how to compete and counter-attack. We want to go through and we know we have two games to do so, but we want to win there.”
Commenting on the ongoing sitation in Israel, midfielder Gal Alberman said: “This isn’t the best feeling in the world. We left our families in Israel but we are facing an important mission. We are very excited to be starting a new season and we hope to get it off on the right foot.
“I have a feeling that this isn’t going to be an easy match. We are aware of how difficult it could be, but we believe in ourselves.”
Next Tuesday’s second leg was scheduled to take place in Israel, though UEFA has already requested that Maccabi arrange an alternative venue for the second leg, if the situation remains the same. The Israelis have looked into staging the game in Cyprus, where Israeli sides hosted matches during the Second Intifada.
Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Beersheba are involved in Europa League qualifying action on Thursday. Both were meant to play their first leg ties in Israel, though instead switched to playing away first – Tel Aviv going to Kazakhstan to play Astana, while Beersheba travel first to Croatia to take on RNK Split.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
