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MACCABI HAIFA v LIVERPOOL

ynwa.tv

By ynwa.tv
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Sion

Sion

Posted
Posted (edited)
Champions League / Haifa set for payback game against Liverpool

 

By Moshe Harush

 

KIEV - Maccabi Haifa said there would be no holds barred as it looked for victory over Liverpool in tomorrow's Champions League third qualifying round second leg, which it is hosting in Ukraine because of the UEFA ban on matches being played in Israel.

 

Coach Roni Levi said he would be happy with even an ugly win as club officials said it would be pay-back time for Liverpool's unhospitable reception at Anfield two weeks ago, where the English club won 2-1.

 

Haifa officials said that Liverpool had freshly painted the visitors' locker room, leaving a noxious odor, had switched off the lights an hour into Haifa's final training session, and had cut short the post-match press conference just as Israeli journalists were questioning Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez.

 

 

 

 

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The officials said that Liverpool would see tonight that its training session would be cut short exactly after 60 minutes, and that questions from English journalists to Roni Levi would be cut off before they managed to complete a sentence.

 

One official went as far as saying: "If it was up to me I would spray the locker room with pest-control spray."

 

Haifa goes into tomorrow night's match needing a 1-0 win to stun Liverpool and to go on to the Champions League group stage at the expense of the English side.

 

"I hope we pull off a sensation," said Maccabi striker Yaniv Katan, "but our chances are not great."

 

Haifa held a short training session at the Valery Lobanovskiy Stadium on arrival in Kiev, where it was greeted by surprisingly warm temperatures and high humidity that should at least make it feel at home.

 

Levi told his players that they had to look for Liverpool's weak points in tomorrow's match. "We know those points and we must take advantage of them," he said.

 

One thing Levi will have to work on is Haifa's defense. The team has made a habbit of conceding late goals and a strike from Liverpool's Mark Gonzalez cost it a draw in the first leg.

 

"I wish I had an explanation for it," Levi said. Perhaos we don't no how to play ugly for a result. Perhaps in soccer sometimes you have to play ugly."

 

There was bad news for Liverpool yesterday as it transpired that it will be without defensive duo Jamie Carragher and John Arne Riise, who both picked up ankle injuries during Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Sheffield United.

 

Riise's problem looked particularly serious and scans have revealed torn lateral ligaments in his left ankle. Carragher has strained the medial ligament in his left ankle and both are expected out for at least two weeks.

 

Mark Gonzalez, who scored a late goal to give Liverpool the win in the first leg, said Liverpool would be a different team this time around.

 

"The second leg will be hard, but we will be different this time," Gonzalez said. "We are fitter now and have played a few more matches, including last weekend's win over Chelsea. And Haifa will have to come out at us to get the goal back. That will leave more gaps for us to exploit with our pace."

 

Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez added: "We are further down the road to full fitness and will be better for it. Haifa did very well at Anfield, but they were able to sit back and try to frustrate us. They will not be able to do that so much in this second game. They will come forward more and we have the players who can take advantage of that."

 

Israelis wanting revenge, in a malicious way, who'd have thought it ;)

Edited by Sion
Alonso

Alonso

Posted
Posted

swap garcia for bellers and i think we have a squad..

I dunno I think Bellamy will start cos of what Rafa's been saying about Haifa attacking us and leaving space. He said that we have players to exploit that and to me that implies players with pace and Bellamy certainly has that. Hence the reason why I think Pennant and Gonzalez will also start as that's 3 players who can break forward quickly on the counter.

Serko

Serko

Posted
Posted

and only 18 players what happens if someone gets injured before the match?only 6 substitutes on the bench. I would have thought one or two of reserves would have travelled.

realtarragona

realtarragona

Posted
Posted (edited)

Because of the game not being played in Israel and the fact Benitez thought as much and said so.

 

Only caught the last part of it though... I presume the reporter was Israeli

 

Handled it very well actually ...

Edited by realtarragona
richt71

richt71

Posted
Posted (edited)

Right going's on over there it seems... :angry:

 

http://www.fcupdate.co.uk/news.php?newsID=41271

 

Jusy seen it. Riled Rafa as the Isreali journo kept saying why you not play in Isreal. Aren't Liverpool man enough to play there. Rafa kept saying it was Eufa's decision and he wanted to talk about football. In the end after a minute of the journo harrassing him he said he had to think of his players, supporters and staff!

All got a bit nasty really. Not sure what the journo wanted from Rafa?? :(

 

Ps. Rafa stated that he respected Haifa, their fans and the Isreali people.

Edited by richt71
Gomez

Gomez

Posted
Posted

Jusy seen it. Riled Rafa as the Isreali journo kept saying why you not play in Isreal. Aren't Liverpool man enough to play there. Rafa kept saying it was Eufa's decision and he wanted to talk about football. In the end after a minute of the journo harrassing him he said he had to think of his players, supporters and staff!

All got a bit nasty really. Not sure what the journo wanted from Rafa?? :(

 

Ps. Rafa stated that he respected Haifa, their fans and the Isreali people.

 

Alan Green said he got the feeling there were a lot of non-sport journalist at the PC.

TBH, they've made themselves look a right bunch of whingers. They may not agree with the decision, but anyone with half a brain can see why UEFA can't have high-profile matches in a country that is involved in a such a contraversial and divisive war.

Guest evil_billy

Guest evil_billy

Posted
Posted

One official went as far as saying: "If it was up to me I would spray the locker room with pest-control spray."

 

Israel in 'Disproportionate Response' Shocker :lol:

Guest jjasonuk

Guest jjasonuk

Posted
Posted

Rafa should have just said because the Isralies have no right being on that fking land in the first place we refuse to go there.

Cobs

Cobs

Posted
Posted

Alan Green said he got the feeling there were a lot of non-sport journalist at the PC.

TBH, they've made themselves look a right bunch of whingers. They may not agree with the decision, but anyone with half a brain can see why UEFA can't have high-profile matches in a country that is involved in a such a contraversial and divisive war.

exactly

 

that journo knows exactly why the match isn't being played in Israel - the cn*t

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