Hapoel Jerusalem vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva
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Today’s free tip is in the Israeli Ligat Ha’al encounter between Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
They may have gotten away with it against Maccabi Haifa, but I’m not sure lightning will strike twice in favour of Hapoel Jerusalem. They’ve shown some bottle at Ligat Ha’al level; I’ll give them that. However, they’re up against one of Israel’s better teams here, and their opponents are playing really well. I don’t fancy the home side’s chances, in other words.
Maccabi Haifa took their eye off the ball last time out, that’s all. They were too buoyed by their utterly dominant display against their only title rivals in the preceding game, winning 2-1 despite having ten men. I’ll forgive them that, though – they’ve been an absolute phenomenon in Israel this season, the reigning champions. It’s one thing to be at the top of the table; any team can do that, given the right circumstances. However, to be there because of how they’ve performed – that’s something different.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva have kept pace with them really well though; surprisingly so. They’ve really got a good group together this time around, against all odds. What’s even more surprising is that it’s Levy that’s leading it; not a particularly good manager. Somehow the combination works though, and Hapoel Be’er Sheva are flying because of it.
What I like the most about the title hopefuls is that goals come from throughout their squad. Yes, having a finisher like Rukavytsya is one hell of a bonus (not tonight, mind you – he’s out!), but when you’ve got Safuri in the form of his life, moments of magic from Moreno and Petrucci, and such threats from set pieces, this team is never far away from scoring. I’ve detailed in the past that I have my concerns about them defensively but they do enough offensively to make it less detrimental. It’s a team to take seriously, in other words.
Hapoel Jerusalem are struggling though. I daresay their one-sided ‘alliance’ of sorts with Beitar Jerusalem hasn’t exactly endeared them to any other Ligat Ha’al club anyway. A lack of quality at this level fused with a lack of recruitment in the most recent transfer window is not helpful. Barsky is the only player of theirs that I trust to do a good job. Agade has his moments, and Shemesh has scored a few this season, as has Hadida, but it’s not a team, per se. Mostly Hapoel Jerusalem just want to entertain, which is quite bold of them. They’re going to find that particularly tricky with Shemesh and Hadida both out. They’re not the only ones, either – midfields regular Agvardish, Naor, and newbie Daniel are all out too.
I thought they galvanised really well against Maccabi Haifa, although I must reiterate that it was the reigning champions that let them off in that draw. I don’t believe Hapoel Be’er Sheva will be quite so charitable; they look extraordinarily focused right now. Hapoel Jerusalem might well score in this game, although it’d surprise me with the players they’re missing. Being open, and hoping that work-rate is enough, is not a prudent way to approach a game against Hapoel Be’er Sheva though, so I suspect the newly-promoted team are in trouble.
The visitors may be without Petrucci and Rukavytsya, but their hosts have almost nothing to offer in midfield and attack because of absentees so anything but a convincing away win would surprise me.
Therefore, I’ll take my chances on the -1 Asian Handicap.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 19/20.
Saturday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
Australian A-League:
Brisbane Roar vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Western United vs Melbourne City
Belgian Eerste Klasse:
Germinal Beerschot vs Zulte-Waregem
RFC Seraing vs AS Eupen
Cercle Brugge vs KV Oostende
Croatian Prva Liga:
NK Osijek vs Slaven Koprivnica
Sibenik vs Hajduk Split
Finnish Liiga Cup:
KuPS vs VPS
SJK vs AC Oulu
Hungarian Liga 1:
Paksi SE vs Zalaegerszegi TE
Debreceni VSC vs Varda SE
Budapest Honved vs Gyirmot
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Hapoel Jerusalem vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva
MS Ashdod vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Hapoel Nof HaGalil vs Maccabi Petah Tikva
Hapoel Haifa vs Beitar Jerusalem
Romanian Liga 1:
Voluntari vs Gaz Metan Medias
Academica Clinceni vs FCV Farul Constanta
Rapid Bucharest vs UTA Arad
Swiss Super League:
FC Zurich vs Servette
Young Boys Bern vs Lugano
Enjoy your free betting tips!