Barak Bachar has one settled unit and several open questions to resolve before Maccabi Haifa open their 2026/27 Ligat Ha'al title defence at home to newly promoted Hapoel Ramat Gan on Saturday evening, ONE reports.
Kickoff at Sammy Ofer Stadium is set for 20:30, and the champions will want to start the campaign cleanly after a bumpy pre-season that included a disappointing cup outing, according to the report.
The back line, at least, appears to have picked itself. ONE reports Bachar has kept the same defensive shape he used on Haifa's recent trip to Jerusalem: Omri Glazer in goal behind Yael Batai, Nigel Lonwijk and Pedrão, with Wanderson "Tsonami" at left-back.
Midfield is where the real head-scratching is happening. The coach has run at least three different combinations in training, per the report - Yarin Levi, Eitan Azulai and Bruninho all in central midfield in one variation, Bruninho pushed out to the left wing in another, with Ali Mohammed and Navot Ratner rotating through the same sessions.
Up front, the choice is between Andrea Novakovic and Silva Kani, with Kenji Gora at risk of dropping to the bench, ONE reports. Novakovic, signed on a free transfer after leaving Bari, only completed his registration with the Israel Football Association on August 20 - meaning Saturday could double as his Haifa debut if Bachar picks him.
There is a smaller dilemma at right-back too, where academy product Iyad Khalili is pushing to replace Cedric Don in the XI, according to the report.
Further up that flank, Haifa are still without a long-term fix. Manuel Benson's serious injury, expected to sideline the Belgian winger for most if not all of the season, has left the club actively searching the market for a replacement right winger.
ONE reports Bachar's stated priority heading into the opener is defensive discipline - avoiding being caught out by Ramat Gan's counter-attacking threat - while he tries to knit a squad reshaped over the summer into a cohesive unit.
Hapoel Ramat Gan arrive at Sammy Ofer Stadium as one of two teams promoted after finishing in the top places of Liga Leumit last season, making Saturday's meeting a first top-flight test for the newcomers against one of the league's traditional heavyweights.
