Hapoel Tel Aviv travel to Poland on Wednesday holding a two-goal cushion, but head coach Elyaniv Barda is making sure nobody at the club mistakes that for a job already done.
The Israeli side beat GKS Katowice 2-0 in Tel Aviv last week in the first leg of their Conference League qualifying tie, with goals from Stav Turiel and Roei Alkukin. The return leg kicks off in Katowice on Wednesday at 19:00 Israel time, with a place in the next round of qualifying at stake.
"This is only the first half of the encounter between two quality teams who both want to do their best," Barda said, previewing the second leg, according to ONE. He said his side must "improve what we didn't do well enough" in the opening match despite the winning scoreline.
The coach was blunt about the danger of complacency on the road. "Every match starts 0-0 and you can't know what will happen, so we must be very ready, especially when they're playing at home with good home results," he said.
Defender Doron Leidner echoed the message, stressing that the aggregate lead reflects only one half of the tie. "We gave our hundred percent to get here," he said. "We analyzed them and they analyzed us — we know what we need to improve."
Katowice have been solid in front of their own fans this season, and Barda's comments suggest Hapoel are wary of a Polish side pushing hard from the first whistle to claw back the deficit. A draw or a win in Katowice would be enough to send Hapoel Tel Aviv through; only a heavy defeat would turn the tie around.
For a club that spent last season in the Israeli second tier before winning promotion, advancing through another European qualifying round would be a significant marker of progress under Barda, who took charge of Hapoel Tel Aviv while they were still in the Leumit League.
