Maccabi Haifa go looking for their first win of the Toto Cup campaign on Tuesday evening, hosting Ironi Kiryat Shmona at 20:00 with manager Barak Bakhar reshuffling his side after a chastening derby defeat.
Haifa were beaten 3-2 by Hapoel Haifa in the Toto Cup opener on Saturday, having trailed 3-0 inside an hour through Yoad Gonen's 30th-minute strike, a Noam Steipman own goal three minutes later and an Alon Turgeman free-kick just after the hour. A spirited late rally through Iaad Halaili in the 75th minute and Eitan Azulay in the 79th was not enough, with Hapoel goalkeeper Yoav Gerafi making a crucial save in the 88th to seal the win.
Halaili's goal in that defeat has earned him another chance in Bakhar's XI, according to ONE. Club officials are said to rate the youngster highly, with one describing him as possessing "very high technical ability" and adding that "if he keeps working hard, he can go on to have a breakthrough season."
The bigger talking point around the squad photo, though, is the first appearance of new signing Wanderson Tsunami. The Brazilian left-back, whose full name is Wanderson de Frias Suarez, completed his medical and signed a two-year contract with Haifa around July 19 after building a reputation in Bulgaria, where he twice captained Levski Sofia.
Bakhar has also recalled winger Kenji Gorré and forward Ali Muhammad to the lineup, while new signing Nigel Lunuwick and forward Pedro are included in the matchday squad as Haifa continue to integrate their summer arrivals.
Going the other way, striker Andrea Novaković and Yarin Levi both drop out with a virus, while defender Goni Naor and Zohar Zasno have been left out after their performances were singled out for criticism following individual errors in the derby.
Haifa's hierarchy was blunt in its assessment of the derby collapse, with a club source telling ONE that "the approach in the first 60 minutes was so slack it really stood out" and calling for a sharper attitude from the players in front of their own supporters against Kiryat Shmona.
With the derby defeat still stinging, tonight's game offers Bakhar's reshaped group an immediate chance to show the response the club is demanding before the Toto Cup group stage moves further into August.
