Christian Blitz will undergo surgery on his fractured foot on Wednesday, a day before his Maccabi Tel Aviv teammates fly out to try to finish off Sheriff Tiraspol in the second leg of their Europa League qualifier in Batumi, ONE reports.
Blitz's setback came in freak circumstances during the 5-0 rout of Sheriff in the first leg, which Ynet also confirmed — sent on as a substitute in the 64th minute on his comeback from a previous spell out through injury, he lasted barely eight minutes before going down again.
According to ONE and Sport1, the diagnosis has since hardened: multiple fracture points in the metatarsal bone of his foot. He is due to have the break repaired at Assaf Harofeh Hospital, with the club estimating he will not return to full training until around November — roughly four months out, partly because an international break and the Ligat Ha'al winter pause will eat into his rehabilitation window regardless.
None of it will dent the mood heading into Thursday, not after a first-leg scoreline so lopsided it barely needed a return fixture to settle. Maccabi need only a routine evening in Georgia to close out the tie and advance to the Europa League's third qualifying round — or the Conference League play-off round, depending on how the continental seeding falls.
That match, and potentially another in the same stadium the following week, will unfold nowhere near Bloomfield Stadium. Maccabi Tel Aviv are hosting all their 2026/27 European fixtures at the Adjarabet Arena in Batumi, the modern stadium on Georgia's Black Sea coast, rather than in Tel Aviv.
It hasn't dampened the travelling support. ONE reports more than 1,000 yellow-shirted Maccabi fans are expected in Batumi for Thursday's game, many treating the trip as a long weekend rather than a straight there-and-back — Georgia has become a popular short-haul destination for Israeli travellers, and a European away day gives supporters a ready-made excuse to go.
Should Maccabi get past Sheriff, the club has already scheduled a third qualifying round tie for the same Batumi venue on Thursday, August 6, meaning Kenny Miller's side's away-from-home European campaign is only just getting started.
Miller is expected to use Thursday's game to freshen up his side, according to ONE, with more minutes likely for Tyrese Asante and Hélio Varela — though Asante's situation is complicated by transfer interest, with Serie A side Monza reported to be in talks over the Dutch defender's future. Kervin Andrade could feature if a proposed loan deal for him falls through, while summer signing Ester Sokler remains unavailable for selection this round.
For Blitz, the focus now shifts entirely to recovery. A player who had only just worked his way back from one injury before suffering another within minutes of his return faces a long road back — one his club will hope ends well before the business end of the season.
