Maccabi Tel Aviv will begin its journey toward Europa League play on Thursday when it takes on Sheriff Tiraspol in the second round of UEFA Europa League qualifying in Moldova, in the first leg of a two-legged tie between the clubs.
The yellow-and-blue have featured in the Europa League in each of the past two seasons and will look to make it three years in a row in the continent’s second-tier competition.
Newly minted head coach Kenny Miller will no doubt be up to the task after guiding Maccabi to last season’s Israel State Cup title while taking over the team on an interim basis following Ronny Deila’s departure during the domestic league’s Championship Playoffs.
For the former Scottish striker, this will be his first opportunity as a head coach to guide a club into European play, something he was well acquainted with as a player. While his team may be favored on paper, Tiraspol has some familiarity with Israeli teams, having faced Hapoel Beersheba a decade ago and Maccabi Haifa in the 2023/24 campaign.
However, Miller has a pair of weapons in attack who could prove potent for Maccabi in rising striker Sayed Abu Farchi and captain Dor Peretz, who returns to the yellow-and-blue after flirting with an opportunity in Croatia during the offseason.
Abu Farchi sets sights on bigger goals after Super Cup brace
After Maccabi captured the Super Cup with a 3-1 win over Hapoel Beersheba this past weekend in the official start to the 2026/27 season, Abu Farchi earned rave reviews by scoring a phenomenal brace to help his club lift the title. With the 20-year-old from Baqa al-Gharbiyye looking to have a stellar season as he continues to build his resume, Abu Farchi spoke about what he has set his sights on for the year ahead, both in Israel and abroad.
“Every year we come with one goal: to win the championship and lift as many trophies as possible,” the striker began.
“There’s no difference between this year and last year, although personally, I want to achieve even more. Every season we come with the objective of bringing home the league title.”
Abu Farchi took a significant step forward last season, and his progress was clear for everyone to see, including himself, after making 43 appearances and scoring 11 goals across all competitions.
“I always strive for more. Even if I score 30 goals this season, next season I’ll aim for 31. I’m always hungry for more, and I hope to score more this year than I did last season. The goal is to have a dream season for myself, for the club and for the fans, and to finish it in the best possible way.”
With Miller remaining as head coach and captain Dor Peretz staying at the club, Abu Farchi is content, but he is also focused on what he can do to help take the team to the next level.
“We’re very happy that Kenny and Dor are with us. They’re both a very important part of this club, but I prefer to talk only about myself.”
For Miller, he sees a tremendously talented striker who will help him take the next steps in his development and career.
“Sayed knows exactly how I felt about him from the moment I arrived here. You could immediately see the enormous potential he has. What I always tell him, and will continue to tell him, is that the goals will always come if he works hard for the team and makes the right runs. Sometimes he puts himself under pressure or gets frustrated when he doesn’t score. In the Super Cup, he found the net twice and could easily have had even more. Beyond his excellent performance, he worked incredibly hard for his teammates.”
Miller backs young striker to grow into leading role
The head coach added: “The things he still needs to improve are the aspects that come with experience and the demands of the role. He’s a young player; he only turned 20 at the end of last season, and he’s been thrown straight into the role of leading striker at the biggest club in the country. That role comes with tremendous pressure and responsibility, and he’s handling it brilliantly.
“As for tonight, he started the season in fantastic fashion. In a big game against a very strong opponent, he scored twice and was involved in another goal. As I said, it could have been even more. It’s a very positive start for him personally and certainly for us as a team.”
Just this past May, less than two months ago, Maccabi took home the State Cup after defeating Beersheba at Teddy Stadium and then captured the Super Cup in a relatively short period of time, something that was particularly special for Abu Farchi.
“It’s an incredible feeling. Like I said, it’s been my dream since I was a kid to win trophies with Maccabi. I’m really happy that I’m making that dream come true and doing what I love most in the world. Personally, the only thing I have left is to win the league title. Hopefully, we’ll do that this season.”
With Sheriff Tiraspol on the docket for Maccabi, and the club’s focus set to remain on the tie for the next two weeks, Miller spoke about how he views European soccer and its importance to the club.
“Of course, it will be a challenge. European matches are different from domestic league games. We also have logistical challenges with frequent travel and playing away from home, but we’ll be ready for it. When you represent a big club, competing in Europe is essential. The expectation is to reach the group stage, first by getting past our next opponent and then making sure we’re in the group stage, because the club wants to continue progressing in Europe and take significant steps forward.”
“That’s part of how you measure your progress, not only by domestic trophies, but also by the way you perform and compete in Europe. That’s one of our goals this season, among many others. At the Super Cup match, the objective was to win a trophy because we want to compete for every title.
“The next challenge is Europe, and no matter who we face, we’ll be ready. If we show the same spirit, quality and togetherness that we showed against Beersheba, I’m confident everything will be fine.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters travel in large numbers, and regardless of whether a match is played in Israel or Europe, the club can always rely on its fans to cheer it on. Prior to the Super Cup match, the yellow-and-blue faithful repeatedly chanted
Abu Farchi’s name and gave the youngster a tremendous amount of encouragement, something that not only delighted him, but is something he will likely need to get used to.
“It’s great to be back playing, and we were very emotional seeing the 7,000 fans who came to support us. We’re happy we sent them home smiling and wanting more. I’m glad we gave them some joy and happiness, and I hope we can keep doing that all season long. Thank you to them.”
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Source:
www.jpost.com
