Hapoel Beer Sheva – OFI: Aiming for a return to European victories

OFI faces Hapoel Beer Sheva on Thursday evening (05/11, 22:00), as part of the 4th matchday of the Europa League League Phase. The Cretans are looking for a result that will bring them back into the top 24 and significantly increase their chances of qualifying for the knockout playoffs.

The match will be held at "Rapid-Giulești" in Bucharest, as the Israeli team cannot host European matches at their home ground for security reasons.

Hapoel Beer Sheva: Leader in Israel, problematic in Europe

Hapoel Beer Sheva has shown two different faces so far this season. In the Israeli championship, they are in first place with 22 points after nine matchdays, with a record of seven wins, one draw, and one loss.

In their last game, they won impressively 5-2 away against Maccabi Petah Tikva, despite being 2-1 down at halftime. It was their second consecutive away win with the same score, having previously beaten Maccabi Haifa 5-2.

Their European performance, however, is completely different. Hapoel drew goalless with Dinamo Zagreb in the opener and then lost to AZ Alkmaar 2-1 and Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0. They are in 30th place with one point and a goal difference of 1-6.

Ran Kozuch also has to deal with injury problems. Lucas Ventura and Eliel Peretz are expected to remain out, while the participation of central defender Djibril Diop, who suffered an ankle injury, is considered doubtful.

OFI: With boosted morale in Bucharest

OFI travels to Romania having left behind the negative period of October. Christos Kontis' team comes from two consecutive wins in the championship, initially beating PAOK 2-1 in Heraklion and then Panetolikos 1-0 in Agrinio.

The away win against the Agrinio team came in the 89th minute, with Kenan Kodro capitalizing on Konstantinos Athanasiou's parallel cross. The result moved the Cretans to 16 points and kept them close to the top four of the Super League.

In the Europa League, OFI started with a significant 2-0 victory over Hoffenheim, but then followed losses to Rennes 2-1 and Bayer Leverkusen 2-0. With three points and a goal difference of 3-4, they are in 26th place, just two positions away from the playoff zone.

Nikos Christogeorgos and Aaron Iseka are the only problems for Christos Kontis, who is expected to have all other players available.

A game of great importance for the standings

The match in Bucharest is one of OFI's most important opportunities in the League Phase. Hapoel has attacking quality and is in very good form in domestic competitions, but has shown significant defensive problems in Europe.

The Cretans need concentration in transitions and effectiveness in the chances they create. With a win, they will reach six points and enter strongly into the contention for a place in the top 24, before the upcoming matches against Besiktas, Sturm Graz, Benfica, and Anderlecht.