Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Petah Tikva kick off the third round of Group B in the 2026/27 Toto Cup on Sunday evening at the new municipal stadium in Rehovot, with both clubs still searching for their first win of the pre-season competition.
The game has an added edge on the touchline. Maccabi Petah Tikva are coached by Ziv Aryeh, who spent seven years in charge of Hapoel Jerusalem before leaving in April and being appointed at Petah Tikva on May 27, replacing Noam Shoham. Sunday marks his first match against his old club since the switch.
ONE reports Hapoel Jerusalem will start Nadav Zamir in goal behind a back line of Idan Cohen, Li-On Mizrahi, Tamir Haimovich and Noam Malmud, with Netanel Shprao, Sani Abdulsalam and Andrew Idoko in midfield feeding a front three of Vitalie Damascan and Ohad Almagor.
Damascan's inclusion is notable in its own right. The Moldovan forward, who signed with Jerusalem this summer, has already worn the colours of both Petah Tikva clubs' city, having spent 2024/25 at Maccabi Petah Tikva before a short, difficult spell at Beitar Be'er Sheva that ended in relegation despite four goals and three assists.
Maccabi Petah Tikva's named XI, per ONE, has Maor Erlich in goal, with Muhammad Hindi, Ido Cohen and Guy Dazent anchoring the defence and Liran Hazan involved further forward alongside Noam Shemesh and Kyle Spence.
Neither club has anything to show for the group stage so far. Hapoel Jerusalem opened with a 3-1 defeat to Maccabi Netanya, while Maccabi Petah Tikva have taken zero points from two outings, beaten 1-0 in a local derby before falling 2-1 to Netanya as well.
Jerusalem's decision to stage the fixture in Rehovot rather than at Teddy Stadium reflects a wider pre-season squeeze on pitches around the country, with the club having already confirmed it will use the new municipal ground there for its Ligat Ha'al opener too.
Kickoff is set for 19:45, with both sides using the group stage to sharpen their squads before the top flight begins in earnest — and with Aryeh, in particular, eager for a result against the club where he built his reputation.
