Maccabi’s win in the 125th derby in history will prevent Hapoel from entering the state cup tournament, a fact that will add extra motivation to the Israeli champs and their fans.

Angelo Caloiaro, Kameron Taylor, and Derrick Williams were left out of the squad. Therefore, the twelve players on the roster will be John DiBartolomeo, Scottie Wilbekin, Keenan Evans, Ido Menchel, Jalen Reynolds, Roman Sorkin, Oded Brandwein, Oz Blayzer, Jake Cohen, James Nunnally, Ante Zizic, and Yiftach Ziv.

“Everyone knows the importance of this game,” said Giannis Sfairopoulos ahead of the derby. “We want to maintain the level we’ve shown in the second half against Zenit, with good defense and aggression. We need to anticipate what Hapoel will try to do and find ways to attack them as wisely as we can”.

“This game is important to us, especially because of the disappointment from Thursday,” Oz Blayzer added. “The derby is always something special, so we will be ready to fight and give everything we have.”