Nobody outside Beer Sheva expects much from Hapoel Beersheba tonight in Belgrade, but Elisha Levi — the coach who once dragged the club out of the relegation zone and up the Ligat Ha'al table — isn't buying the pessimism.
"No one gives Beersheba a chance, but in my opinion it's 50-50," Levi said in an appearance on the show Sicha HaYom, previewing the Champions League third qualifying round first leg against Red Star Belgrade. "With all due respect to the Star, Beersheba isn't a less good or less organised team."
The match kicks off at 20:30 Israel time on Tuesday at the Rajko Mitić Stadium, with Beersheba arriving in Serbia off the back of a 2-0 aggregate win over Iceland's Vikingur Reykjavik in the second qualifying round.
Red Star are the heavier favourites for good reason: the Serbian champions steamrolled Larne of Northern Ireland 9-0 on aggregate in the previous round, including a 5-0 away win, and arrive with a squad built for a genuine Champions League run.
Levi's case rests on structure rather than star power. He argued Beersheba's shape and midfield balance can neutralise a technically stronger opponent, pointing to the platform manager Ran Kozhuk has built since guiding the club to the Israeli championship last season.
It is a squad, though, playing its first European fixture without Kings Kangwa. The Zambian forward, who set up nine goals in 33 league games during Beersheba's title-winning campaign, was sold to Panathinaikos last month for a fixed fee reported at roughly €3.8 million, with add-ons that could push the total closer to €4.5 million.
Filling that creative gap falls in part to Eliel Peretz and Hamudi Kana'an, both floated by Levi as options to rotate into the role Kangwa vacated, alongside the continued presence of veteran Miguel Vitor anchoring the midfield.
Pressed for a scoreline, Levi hedged rather than gambled: "I think it's even, in my opinion a draw — 0-0 or 1-1, I'm obviously guessing."
The stakes stretch beyond bragging rights. Should Beersheba spring the upset over the two legs, Ynet has reported they would be seeded into the playoff round against either Aarhus of Denmark or Sabah of Azerbaijan — one more step from the group-stage riches Israeli clubs have chased for years.
