Beitar Jerusalem will look to get the Championship Playoffs off to a good start when they welcome Maccabi Haifa to the capital city on Sunday night (20:00) as the yellow-and-black find themselves just two points behind the table leaders Hapoel Beer Sheva. Barak Itzhaki’s squad are coming off of a 2-0 Derby win over Hapoel while the Greens will enter the matchup after having been eliminated from the Israel State Cup competition when they fell to Maccabi Haifa 3-2 at the same Teddy Stadium just this past Wednesday.

While Barak Bachar’s team has had a tough go this season, they are always dangerous as they still have something to play for which is the opportunity to play in European competition qualifiers as they currently sit in 5th place an are 7-points out of 4th which would offer them the chance to be a part of UEFA’s summer time qualification stage.

After defeating Hapoel Jerusalem, Itzhaki and his side understand there are no shortcuts when it comes to winning the Israeli league championship as each and every game coming up is for the title and it doesn’t matter if it’s Hapoel Petach Tikva, Maccabi Tel Aviv or Maccabi Haifa who they are facing. The games are going to be coming fast and furious for the yellow-and-black as the schedule is condensed due to the war with Iran and that means it’s all hands on deck in order to come away with the big prize at the end of the season which will be in late May.

The 3-points earned against the reds in the Derby were critical especially since it matches against the city rivals are never simple which is also the case in any country. They had been Itzhaki’s black sheep so to speak and he finally was able to put that to bed with a victory, in fact fairly quickly with a goal just seconds into the game.

“I think the win is obviously important,” Itzhaki began. “It was three valuable points but also the way we played was right. We created the spaces we wanted to create and we built our attacks the way we planned. The game also developed in our favor, especially since we scored an early goal. We managed to keep controlling possession for most phases of the match and created more chances. So overall, I’m satisfied. I was satisfied with the performance, but that game is already behind us, it’s history. Now we’re looking ahead to Sunday’s match against Maccabi Haifa.”

Haifa will no doubt be a totally different game as Bachar has the horses to play an attacking style of game and the greens will be looking to cut the gap to fourth place which is the last European qualifying position as they find themselves seven points away from Hapoel Tel Aviv.

“We are expecting a fast-paced game with intensity,” Itzhaki explained. “They’re a good team, even if they’re not playing with the best momentum right now, you can never underestimate Maccabi Haifa, no matter the situation they’re in. They have excellent players. That said, we need to focus on ourselves on how we want to play and our game plan but also respect the opponent and understand we’re facing a strong team that also needs points, just like we do. I don’t think there’s such a thing as Maccabi Haifa coming into a game with nothing to play for. That’s my opinion. But we’ll leave them to their thoughts, we’ll focus on what we need to do. It definitely won’t be an easy match.”

Beitar came into the derby last week without two of their regular starters in Adi Yona and Yarin Levy due to injuries with the former out for the season with a foot issue and the latter a groin strain but should be back in a few weeks. The captain Yarden Shua was also out of action due to yellow card accumulation which left a few spots open in the staring lineup and food for thought for Itzahaki.

One of the players that came off the bench to take over one of those positions was Ziv Ben Shimol who for the most part had played in most games but did not have a starting role. The 22-year old grew up in Maale Adumim and was a Beitar Jerusalem from a very young age. He played for the local Beitar Maale Adumim team as a youth and continuously filled the back of the goal which was something Maccabi Haifa noticed as they brought him to their youth department in time for the 2020/21 season.

Playing together with Anan Khalaily, who is now starring in Belgium for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Ben Shimol couldn’t stop scoring while also becoming an integral part of the club that looked at the attacking midfielder as part of their future.

“This is a player we’ve been tracking for quite a few years,” Haifa executives said at the time. “He is very talented, high-quality, and making great progress. There’s no doubt he’s a talent.”

Ben Shimol was loaned out to Hapoel Afula in Israel’s second division for the start of the 2023/24 season, but returned to Maccabi Haifa’s senior squad during the winter transfer window and made a stellar debut in February 2024 when he assisted on a Frantzdy Pierrot marker in Israel State Cup play against Hapoel Um Al Fahm in a 2-0 win. Under Head Coach Messay Dego, Ben Shimol made a few more appearances before the end of the season and then was loaned out to Leumit League side Bnei Yehuda for last year where he scored seven goals across all competitions.

“He’s a ‘classic number 10,’ like Lior Rafaelov from 20 years ago,” Green management said after Ben Shimol had impressed. “He’s someone with exceptional passing ability. Last year he recorded 33 assists as part of the club’s academy in Kfar Galim.

However, after the 2024/25 season it seemed that Ben Shimol was no longer part of the Greens plans and after some back and forth haggling, he was sold to Beitar for 350,000 NIS, fulfilling a childhood dream.

“I am very excited to join Beitar Jerusalem, a club I grew up supporting as a fan, and now I have the privilege of wearing its shirt as a player,” Ziv said after inking a deal with the club. “I come in hungry, committed and full of motivation to succeed, to contribute to the club and to experience Teddy Stadium in all its madness just as I always dreamed of as a child.”

Now with a blank slate in front of him, Ben Shimol made his Beitar debut back in August 2025 when came off the bench in the 85th minute of UEFA Europa Conference League 3rd round play, second leg play against Riga which resulted in a 3-1 win. However, the yellow-and-black had lost the first leg 3-0 and were ousted from the qualifying campaign, but Ben Shimol was back in action just a few days later in Toto Cup play. The midfielder entered the fray as a soon half substitute against Hapoel Haifa and scored the fifth goal of a 5-0 win from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute.

From there, Itzhaki primarily used Ben Shimol as a joker off of the bench which paid dividends this past December when he came on in the 90th minute of a 1-1 game at Maccabi Haifa.

With a sold out Sammy Ofer Stadium on its feet and the decibel levels going through the roof, Ben Shimol came back to haunt his former club as he scored the winning goal to the delight of the traveling Beitar fans and to the great dismay of the Haifa faithful who left the facility with their heads hanging low.

Ben Shimol leaped into Itzhaki’s arms as every player jumped on top of the pile in celebration.

“I was just waiting to get into the game so I could win it,” a smiling Ben Shimol said. This is one of the happiest moments of my life. I have great appreciation for Maccabi Haifa; I grew up supporting Beitar and it was my dream to play for them.”

Haifa all-time great Reuven Atar said the next day on Yaniv Katan’s podcast that the greens let a good one get away in Ben Shimol, “There aren’t enough football players. We need futsal players who know how to play football, like Ziv Ben Shimol. What a good kid he is, he met me one day and he was so shy. It’s a shame; they should have loaned him out. We have to learn a lesson and take very good care of every youngster.”

While Ben Shimol has only made two starts in league play and another pair in State Cup action, Itzhaki decided that he was going to go with the 22-year old in the Derby and fill some significant cleats in Yarin Levy and Adi Yona and the results were sparkling.

Ben Shimol played an incredible match and also ran 11.5km, the most of any other player on the pitch, was seemingly everywhere and proved to his head coach that he is there to do whatever is needed in order to help the team win.

“I’m flattered that Barak Itzhaki trusts me in multiple positions. I’ll do whatever he tells me. I liked our ball movement. I do what’s needed for the team to meet its goals. We hadn’t won the derby for two years, but we felt the power of the fans. We’re united and happy they’re with us. It’s great to score early, the crowd pushed us forward and once you’re ahead, your football becomes a bit more relaxed.”

Itzhaki in turn spoke about what Ben Shimol brings to the table and where he sees the youngster’s future, “This is his first season in the Premier League. He did play in the Leumit League beforehand and his progress has been good. It’s true he hasn’t started many games, but he’s been used in most of them when needed and he managed to deliver even in limited minutes.”

“We reached a point where he truly earned his opportunity. Yes, you can talk about absences or injuries of other players, but that doesn’t matter. I trust my players and I never use excuses about missing players. That’s why we train hard, even the players who don’t play push themselves so that when we need them, they’re ready. I was very pleased with his last performance, both on and off the ball. I spoke with him about what he needs to improve, just like I did with other players. We’ll need everyone until the end of the season.”

There’s no question Itzhaki is going to need everyone form top to bottom in order to come away with the championship and that will require rotating the squad, “We’re entering a period with many games, three matches in one week, so we’ll definitely need the whole squad ready. Regarding rotations, I focus on the upcoming match. I don’t decide too far ahead who will play in future games. Things can change during the week: training, injuries, suspensions.”

“It’s good to have players on the bench or even in the stands who can suddenly start the next game. That’s the nature of a football team. We need to keep everyone focused, ready, and in good shape for when they’re needed. There are many factors that go into my decisions, but we still have training sessions today and tomorrow and we’ll decide on the lineup in the next day or two.”

There’s no question that Ben Shimol will once again be in the Starting XI and rightfully so as 30,000 fans will pack into Teddy Stadium on Sunday night after the Home Front Command lifted all of the attendance restrictions due to the various ceasefires in place.

The midfielder also knows it will be a tough matchup against his former club, “They’re a strong team and we respect them. They have very good players, but we’re focused on ourselves and we’re coming to win. Personally, I want to contribute as much as I can. I always dreamed of being here. I’m happy I got here and I’m giving it my all. I hope to keep improving from game to game.”

As Ben Shimol improves from game to game so is Beitar as it heads into the stretch run with a chance to take home the coveted championship for the first time in close to two decades.

“About our expectations and goals, I’m not too concerned with whether people talk about it or not,” Itzhaki said. “What matters is our belief. We need to believe in ourselves. And who says we don’t? If we’ve reached our current position, it means we’re doing things right. We’ll continue this way. My players know exactly what I want and what our goals are, there’s no need to talk too much. I believe in talking less and doing more.”