It can be said of the Conference League that it is not a sexy enterprise, and even that some of the participants were bottom teams in the Premier League.
Some of these claims are true, but - and there is a big but here - the Israeli teams can benefit hugely from this enterprise, just like Maccabi Tel Aviv, that if they beat Lasek Lynch tonight (Thursday), make history and advance to the quarterfinals - a European achievement that no Israeli team Has come to him in the last 20 years.
Admittedly, the Yellows enjoyed a lot of luck this season in the home stage draw.
They were ranked in the second quality group and accepted Lusk Lynch as head of side instead of Tottenham, Roma, Ghent and Alkmaar, and avoided meetings with third-tier teams like Vitesse and Union Berlin, which paved the way for them towards first place.
Barak Itzhaki.
Dreaming of the quarterfinals, Photo: Alan Shiber
Of course, if Maccabi had met one of the strongest teams we mentioned at home, its fans would probably have come in large numbers to play against them, but the task of qualifying for the quarterfinals would have become a dream.
This is in light of the fact that the real place in such a case is the second place, which only leads to the playoffs against the teams that have dropped out of the Europa League.
"Give me a boring lottery every year like we got. That way we have a chance to advance in Europe, better than getting Tottenham or Roma," he said on a Maccabi source. "The Conference League is an amazing enterprise for Israeli teams. "To stage the houses in Europe. To think about the last 32 (the playoffs, SA) was just a dream, but in a conference we can at least mark the playoffs as a goal every year."
Rated for a better future
Barak Yitzhaki's team, which will continue to stand on the lines until a new coach is found, is 90 minutes away from a historic achievement.
As we wrote in the opening, the last time an Israeli team was in the quarterfinals of a European factory was 20 years ago in the miraculous journey of Hapoel Tel Aviv in the UEFA Cup (which later became the European League).
This achievement can have huge professional and economic consequences for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Mitch Goldhaar.
On the way to 8.25 million euros ?,
First and foremost the ranking points.
So far, the Yellows have scored 23.5 points - three and a half points more than last season.
This means that if Maccabi reaches the Conference League next season as well, it will receive very comfortable lotteries and will most likely almost certainly participate in the home stage, and this of course has economic implications that we will reach immediately.
If Maccabi qualifies for the quarterfinals, not only will it receive comfortable draws on paper in the early stages next season, it will also increase its chances of even being in the first tier and thus be able to arrange a more convenient way to return to the quarterfinals.
It's crazy, but does not stop here.
If Maccabi manages to record great achievements in the next two years as well, it will increase its ranking points significantly, and then, if, for example, the Conference League is canceled, it will be in a much stronger position in the European League draws, compared to previous years.
And now for the economic side.
Maccabi has so far pocketed about six million euros in grants from the UEFA following its successes in the Conference League. In other words, Maccabi is in a position to earn between NIS 30 million and NIS 35 million from UEFA grants alone.
Dan Glazer.
Still in doubt, Photo: Ami Shumen
In addition, Maccabi's regular arrival in advanced stages such as the playoffs or the eighth will probably expose its players to scouts in Europe, thus increasing the possibility of selling potential players in the future.
"If we qualify for the eighth from the first place we will get a rival who was in the second place in the conference or a team from the third place in the Europa League. With a little luck it will be possible to dream of a quarter-final, it is inconceivable."
But for all these things to happen, Maccabi will have to beat the Austrian team tonight in Bloomfield, and this is not an easy task.
Injured Dan Glazer is in doubt.
The rest of the squad that started in the derby should continue to get the credit.
Were we wrong?
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