Beitar Jerusalem gets back to action on Saturday night (19:15) when they welcome Hapoel Haifa to Teddy Stadium in an Israeli league Matchday 21 clash. The yellow-and-black are currently in first place, one point ahead of Hapoel Beer Sheva who will visit Maccabi Bnei Reineh up at Nof HaGalil on Saturday evening (17:30) as well.

Barak Itzhaki’s squad had gone six straight matches without dropping a point until they faced Ashdod at the Yud Alef Stadium this past Sunday night where they drew 1-1 in a game that they played a man to the good for the majority of the second half but couldn’t find the winner as they had done in previous contests over the winning streak. However, Beitar has in fact not lost since they fell to Beer Sheva back on Matchday 9 when the southern reds slipped by the hosts 1-0 in the capital city.

In less than two weeks the yellow-and-black will head to Beer Sheva in what will no doubt be a heated matchup in a game that will be without Beitar fans due to a penalty handed out by the Israel Football Association. Without their supporters in tow that clash will most certainly be even that more challenging for Itzhaki’s charges.

But as the bench boss always says, Beitar is looking at just the next game and nothing further than that, “I always try to instill in my players the mindset of focusing on the next game and not always looking at the cup, or what happens later against another opponent. This is part of my job, both as a coach and as someone who talks to them all the time to get into the players’ heads and explain that the most important thing for us is the next game. You can say it’s a cliché, you can say I’m avoiding talking about championships, but I really believe in it. I really believe we need to focus on the next game and not look too far ahead. That keeps the players focused on the upcoming game.”

The draw at Ashdod perhaps was that of Beitar peaking ahead just a bit, but all in all, the yellow-and-black had a very good run and an excellent streak that still continues on said Itzhaki, “When you look at our whole run, you can say when it might stop, but I don’t want to finish with any game ending in a draw, I really want and aim to win every game. It won’t always happen, but that’s part of the game. Of course, we fixed what needed to be fixed and talked about what we needed to talk about. Now we’re looking at the game on Saturday.”

Beitar had plenty of chances in the second half of that match against Ashdod, but the ball just couldn’t find its way into the port city side goal the bench boss explained, “It’s important to me that we keep doing the things we did in the second half, also before the red card in the game against them as well as after when we knew how to control the pace of play and create chances. There was enough time to come back, so we needed to keep playing patiently, which is what we did in the second half. Sometimes even that isn’t enough, so we talked about what needed to be talked about.”

Itzhaki would like to still make some additions to the squad after Boris Enow and Efmamjjasond Gonzalez were brought in to fill the need of a midfielder and striker but he also made it clear that he doesn’t want to see any players subtracted from the team that he has.

“We might strengthen with two more foreign players. Maybe even more. But in the end, decisions have to be made. Sometimes decisions are hard. But I always say I make these decisions wholeheartedly and fairly toward my players. I’m sure some players who don’t dress for games are disappointed sometimes. But when you do it after analyzing the whole situation and seeing what’s really best for the team, I think everyone knows how to appreciate that.

“Am I part of the decision-making? I’m the coach and I need to coach the players who are on the pitch. Of course, I always give my opinion, but this club doesn’t make decisions based on one person’s wishes. There’s ownership, there’s a sporting director, there’s a CEO and there’s a coach. Everyone is heard and then the club makes the decision. From my side, I passed on my thoughts that I think no one should leave the club.”

As for one player that utilizes seems won’t be in the squad, Omer Atzily will be out of action for a second straight game with the hope he will be back midweek when Beitar plays Bnei Yehuda in State Cup action. Atzily, who is injured would have very much liked to have been part of the squad who will play Hapoel Haifa but he won’t be the only star not in action in this matchup as Carmel Reds striker Javon East will also not play but not because of an injury. East, who signed with Hapoel Beer Sheva on Thursday for the upcoming 2026/27 season was also pictured wearing their jersey in what was probably an attempt to move things along and free the star up in this winter transfer window which seems to have done the job.

The club’s new head coach Haim Silvas made his feelings known on Friday by leaving East out of the squad for what is a very big game for both sides, “Hapoel Haifa is a respected club with a glorious history and fans who are deeply connected to the team and the club. A basic requirement for me for any player who plays for the team is to respect the club, the players, and the fans. It is legitimate for a player to want to progress financially and professionally and there is also a proper way to do so.

By East’s act of putting on the jersey, he acted irresponsibly, with a lack of tact and with complete disrespect toward the club, his teammates, and the devoted fans. The club and the team come above everything. I expect loyalty and 100% focus and commitment to the very important goal ahead of us. These are non-negotiable conditions, and that is what guides me. My decision is that East is out of the squad for tomorrow’s match.”

Without two of the top players in the Israeli league, Itzhaki will try to make sure his side can break down Haifa although there’s an understanding that there will be a “new coach effect” to deal with as well as the fact that the last time Silvas was at Teddy Stadium against Beitar his Ashodd team held them to a scoreless draw.

“Sometimes things don’t depend only on us, but also on the opponent as we don’t play alone. But I always want both halves to be played at a very high tempo, to create chances and at the same time not be exposed defensively.”