BEER SHEVA – The heat is on and so is the pressure when it comes to a “Match of the Season”. That’s the case for both Hapoel Beer Sheva, who sit atop the table and Beitar Jerusalem, who are just a a pair of points behind the southern reds as the two clubs will battle it out on Saturday night at Turner Stadium in the first of two meetings between them in the Championship Playoffs.

Sure, it’s only the first of two clashes that these teams will take a part in, but with that, there will only be eight more games and 24 points in total to go after this one and while nothing will be decided down south, the result could definitely influence the way the balance of the campaign will go.

Should Beer Sheva win, Ron Kozuk’s squad will open up a nice 5-point gap but if Beitar is victorious, Barak Itzhaki’s side will move into first place with a point to the good. Of course there could be a draw which would not be a terrible result for either side.

The status quo would remain and there would still be eight games and one more between the two squads at Teddy Stadium later on in the playoffs which could influence the standings much more than right now.

However, both will want to win which psychologically could be much more effective in the title race than anything else for the two of them.

Beer Sheva is already 2-0 against Beitar this season, defeating the yellow-and-black 1-0 at Teddy Stadium and then winning 2-1 at Turner. Win or lose for Kozuk and his crew, they know that they can beat Beitar no matter where they play. For Itzhaki a win gives them a boost and says, hey, we can beat Beer Sheva in their own home.

But it’s not just beating them in their own home but winning without any fan support as the Beitar supporters have been banned from this away fixture due to a penalty levied by the Israel Football Association. In fact, the last time they played at Turner, the Beitar faithful were also banned, so to some extent they are used to the situation.

Beitar’s fanbase, the largest in the country showed up at the Bayit Vegan practice facility on Friday morning with flares and fireworks to cheer the team on before they head down south as they showed their love and support for their heroes prior to the match. Beitar fans travel well and because they have so many fans around the country they know how to pack in every stadium from the Galilee to the center of the country and of course Beer Sheva.

This is a massive advantage as they have won many an away match thanks to outnumbering or out-singing the home fans. Playing without the loyal supporters doesn’t mean they can’t win, but until they do, well, it means they’ve got to get the monkey off of their proverbial backs. The same is true for Itzhaki who doesn’t even want to think of what his personal record is against Beer Sheva.

The bottom line is, heading into Turner Stadium is no picnic and won’t be an easy undertaking by any stretch of the imagination. Very few teams go to Beer Sheva and collect 3-points and should Beitar find a way to do just that, then they can’t let that go to their heads because, yes, there are still eight games to go and yet another encounter with Kozuk.

As much as Itzhaki and Kozuk want to win, the safest result for both teams is to draw and kick the can further down the road for what will be their fourth and final clash later which would take place in May. The Beitar bench boss spoke about how both teams will probably drop points along the way as they still have to face the likes of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv not to even mention Hapoel Petach Tikva who inked their head coach Omer Peretz to an extension through 2028. (Although it wouldn’t be a shock if he ends up somewhere else, maybe even Beer Sheva, regardless of the extension before the 2026/27 season begins, because in sports anything he everything can happen)

Of course, that’s not to say they will play for a draw and I wouldn’t dream of Kozuk and Beer Sheva wanting to settle for a single point at home in front of a packed house. But one also doesn’t know how the game will develop and perhaps one point to hold serve will be better than not only no points but also three for Beitar.

Itzhaki on one hand loves to play attacking football and they’ve also recorded two straight clean sheets for the first time all season as their defense has started to really click with a fabulous back line of Luka Gadrani and Brayan Carabali but also terrific wingbacks with Nana Antwi and Yarden Cohen manning the flanks. There is talk that Itzhaki may play with a trio of centrebacks for this game but we shall see when it comes down to the Starting XI.

If Itzhaki sees that a point and a draw is going to be the best result throughout the contest, then so be it, he’ll take the point and head back to Jerusalem to prepare for Hapoel Petach Tikva in a game that has to be 3-points. While maximum points would be nice at Beer Sheva, if Beitar doesn’t collect three on Tuesday and then another three next Saturday against Maccabi Tel Aviv in a match that will also be in the capital city, then he can already close up shop and prepare for the next season.

Each game is critical from here on in, but the stakes will be raised as each match gets crossed off the calendar and the end of the season closes in. So while this may be the “Match of the Season”, it’s certainly not the going to be the be all and end all. It won’t be the one that will decide the 38-game campaign but it may play a part in shaping the final eight contests of the season for both sides.