Beitar Jerusalem will look to keep up their positive momentum when they welcome Maccabi Bnei Reineh to Teddy Stadium in the capital city on Saturday night (19:30). The yellow-and-black have won five games in a row across all competitions and are undefeated in their last nine as they will look to move that number into double digits against the cellar dwellers of the league.

However, despite Bnei Reineh being in last place, Barak Itzhaki’s team will need to be very careful that they don’t fall into the trap of complacency which is always a serious threat, one that is as dangerous as an all-out attack on the pitch. There have been many a team that succumb to complacency and Beitar certainly don’t want that to ruin what has been built throughout the season thus far. It can easily creep up on any team and it’s the ones who are the best of the best and those who are mentally the strongest who can defeat what has defeated many a club over the years.

With that, Reineh will also pose plenty of challenges for Beitar on the pitch as they will undoubtedly look to pack it in the box and try to counter when they can which is something Itzhaki’s team has seen a number of times this season as well as something that he would like to avoid like the plague.

“These kinds of games are maybe the most dangerous,” Itzhaki said. “I sat here before the match against Hapoel Jerusalem and people raised their eyebrows when I said I was worried. I’m worried about this match as well as it’s an opponent fighting for its life. We’ll need to neutralize everything happening around us.”

“The derby is an example of that,” the bench boss added. “Even though we played pretty good football there, in the end these are tough games. Kiryat Shemona also came in a bad period; you don’t need more than 5–10 minutes to get into trouble in a match like that. I don’t want to reach moments like that on Saturday.”

Adi Yona who has been playing some of his football over the past few months agreed with his head coach, “It’s a tough match. Like every match so far, it’s important and it’s happened to us many times this season that teams came and sat back, but the coaches and staff will prepare us in the best possible way.”

As for the mental part of the game, Itzhaki said that this is something he deals with and helps the players understand what they need to really be attentive to.

“I deal with that; it’s already part of my habits and the way I work with my players, to keep them focused especially in games that are supposedly less glamorous, where the work is actually more intensive. We look at the upcoming match and when you focus only on that game, there are different ways to try to get the maximum out of it. I always tell the players: in terms of quality and ability, you’re there, but you need to bring those extra things.”

Beitar will look to unleash its attack, one that has scored 40 goals this season and is one of the most dynamic and exciting offenses in the league. With that, Itzhaki has also improved the squad’s defensive play which has really helped them keep close to first place.

“Here too we need to mention the attack and of course credit goes to the defensive players. When I analyze the matches, I see that we’re doing things much better than last season. In the end, as fun as it is to play attacking football, even the talented players need to know how to press after losing the ball and track back.”

Yona has been one of the players who has been able to take advantage of the Beitar attack that Beitar has been able to produce, “I feel I’m going through a good period of time right now, both physically and with the team. I work every day to improve. The staff and the players really have my back and it could be that this has a big impact. I believe that these are things that I had also done before. Thank God now my stats have improved and are better while people are noticing it more. But I don’t think I changed something 180 degrees.”

This past Sunday saw Beitar have a super tough time against Kiryat Shemona and that was a team that had been recued to ten-men. It seemed as if the yellow-and-black were holding on for dear life as they were able to slip by with a hard earned 2-1 win and take the 3-points to stay just two points off the top of the table and Hapoel Beer Sheva. Itzhaki doesn’t believe that this was due to fatigue or an overload on the players despite not having a deep bench to work with.

“I don’t think we were tired in the previous match. Against Kiryat Shemona we got confused there and it wasn’t because of fatigue. Playing two or three times in a month or two with midweek games isn’t overload; players need to know how to adapt to that. Overload is when you play in Europe and have flights or things like that.”

What is clear is that Itzhaki would like to get to that point as there is a possibility that one day, not too far down the road, Beitar will be a regular participant in European competition. Then there will be that extra load of games that his squad will have to deal with which is something that he along with Almog Cohen the sports director and owner Barak Abramov are without a doubt looking into with the addition of Boris Enow well before the transfer window in Israel had even opened.

“He’s trained with us maybe two full sessions and we’re easing him in slowly,” Itzhaki said. “He can play both as a 6 and as an 8, which can give us more variety in midfield. There’s more competition, which pushes the players in the lineup and on the bench. I’m happy he joined us and I hope another one will join as well.”

Yona was also excited that Enow, who arrived from DC United in major League Soccer, will be part of the side as they push towards the top, “He’s a great guy. We welcomed him well and he’s integrated excellently. The more quality and depth there is can only add to the squad and the maximum will come out of everyone.”

There will be over 25,000 fans at Teddy Stadium as the fans continue to flock and see their team no matter if they are playing at home or on the road which is something that Itzhaki is not taking for granted.

“I’m very happy to hear that there’s such high demand for tickets, even for matches that are considered lower profile. The fans are still showing trust in the team and coming in large numbers to support us, that’s very significant.”

There is talk all over the town as to how Beitar is in the championship hunt and perhaps Itzhaki is finally warming up to that fact as he understands that he and the players along with the rest of the team are going to have to deal with it now week in and week out.

“We’re human beings and the players live what’s happening outside, in the media and on the street, they’re exposed to everything. We’re currently going in the right direction, but nobody is guaranteeing us anything.”

Yona also talked about how the club is trying to keep everyone’s feet on the ground, so to speak, “It’s something the staff works on with us, trying to keep us grounded and focused on the upcoming match. We don’t go too much into what’s being said outside; we hear it, but we manage to stay focused.”

The key for Beitar as they enter into Matchday 18 is to keep winning and finding ways to win games that they weren’t able to last season as they try an chase down Hapoel Beer Sheva, Yona explained.

“It’s part of a process we’re going through. We try to stay focused on the game until the very last minutes and seconds. Thank God, we’ve also managed to win games in stoppage time and show good character.”