“Of course it’s fun [to be in the position that we are in], but that kind of fun can sometimes be dangerous. You can’t get carried away. You have to stay grounded and at the same time push ourselves even harder and raise the level because in moments like these, you can’t afford to blink.” – Beitar Jerusalem Barak Itzhaki, ahead of his club’s match at Ashdod.

Beitar Jerusalem heads to Ashdod for clash at the port city on Sunday (20:15 Israel time) as the yellow-and-black will look to remain in first place after Hapoel Beer Sheva defeated Kiryat Shemona 3-2 and moved back to the top of the table. Ashdod has always been a tough team to play especially when the match is being held at the Yud Alef Stadium, one of the old time facilities in the country and features one of the most difficult pitches to play on.

Earlier this season in a game that was held at Teddy Stadium in the capital city, the port city side held Beitar to a goalless draw as the teams split the points. While that team was managed by Haim Silvas who was let go a few weeks ago Ashdod will no doubt still be a threat to steal a point or perhaps even three should the yellow-and-black not be 110% focused on the task at hand.

Just as Itzhaki said, this kind of fun can be dangerous and that’s what he has been really working on as his team will look to record another positive result.

“There are matches that can be very tricky for us,” Itzhaki began. “So we need to arrive focused, especially against a team coming off a run of results and after a coaching change. We need to be very concentrated, especially in Ashdod’s stadium, where it’s never easy to play. Ashdod are known as a strong home team, and we don’t want this to be a game where they show their best football. We saw that in the first round, so we have to come at peak readiness.”

Itzhaki has been to the Ashdod Stadium many a times as a player and most recently as a head coach, so he is well aware as to what kind of challenging matchup this is going to be. Even with a victory, which would put them back in first place by 3-points over Beer Sheva, he also knows that the season is only halfway done and there’s plenty of football left to be played in order to walk away with the coveted championship.

“Of course, there’s a long way to go. We’re at the midpoint of the league, there’s still a lot ahead of us. That’s why we’re not looking far ahead, only at the next match, Sunday in Ashdod. To keep progressing, we need to focus on the upcoming game and nothing beyond that.”

This Matchday saw Beer Sheva already in action as they took out Kiryat Shemona and moved back into first place, at least for the time being. Some weeks it’s Beitar playing before Beer Sheva and some are exact opposite which in theory creates a very different dynamic but regardless at the end of the day each team has got to play on each Matchday and the schedule maker will always look tout the more attractive game on at the best time.

To Itzhaki, it really doesn’t make a difference, “Some times they play first and sometimes we play first but we have to do things as best as possible in order to bring the right results.”

Beitar is still playing in the both the Israeli league and the State Cup and has added depth to their squad with the signing of Boris Enow and Gonzales which will for sure come in handy as the season heads into the title race in full force. The more quality players, the merrier as that will allow Itzhaki more options which will no question come in handy.

“I don’t look at it as 7–8 players who will always be on the pitch or playing rotations. Every match has its own circumstances and my perspective is what’s right to do in order to win that game. Whether it’s league, cup, or fixture congestion, ultimately, I want to set up the lineup and make substitutions that are best for that specific match. Whoever is in good form plays.”

When Hapoel Tel Aviv scored late in their game against Hapoel Beer Sheva to take a dramtic win that gave Beitar sole possession of first place, there were plenty of yellow-and-black faithful who were thrilled and overjoyed with the result and that included the bench boss. Itzhaki was actually taking part in a family event but that still didn’t mean he wasn’t tuned in to the action at Bloomfield Stadium.

“Honestly, I didn’t watch the full game live because I was at my father’s birthday, which is a bit more important, but I stayed updated and watched parts of it. I like watching Israeli football, all of the games here interest me and I’ll also be heading to the Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Petach Tikva match after the practice.”

Perhaps most importantly, Itzhaki is taking it one match at a time, just like when he was winning championships as a player with Maccabi Tel Aviv. That attitude is something that he has continued to convey from day one of this current season as he wants to see his players just focus on what is at hand and nothing more than that.

“I’m only looking at Sunday’s match in Ashdod. The players know that too. Our biggest focus is the next match, a super significant, super tough and very important game. I’m sure the support from our fans will be tremendous.”