After the difficult draw in the second qualifying round of the Champions League, which placed them against Olympiakos, Maccabi Haifa, which stunned the Greeks, is happy to meet Apollon Limassol tomorrow in the third round.
The Cypriots, quite obviously, of course professionally preferred to face the Israeli champion than the Greek one, when for one of the members of its management, the Israeli Hiko Raychik, it is about the professional challenge with a combination of emotions upon arrival in the country.
"I grew up half in Germany, half in Israel. I'm married to an Israeli and we have two children," said Raychik in an interview with Israel Hayom, "My wife is not at all interested in soccer, but I was very passionate about it and she immediately called us to ask if we would come too To Israel. My wife was less interested in it, she was more worried about when I had to fly and be away from home (laughs), but there is no doubt that it is an experience for me to come to Israel, it is a country I love."
As an Israeli, what did you want more, to meet Maccabi Haifa or Olympiakos?
"It was divided into two. First of all, I was very happy that I would come to Israel and that we would host them here. After that, you think about what is strategically better for your team, Olympiakos or Maccabi Haifa, but in the end the stronger desire was to play against an Israeli team. That's why I wanted to meet You're Maccabi Haifa, and for me it's not just football."
Maccabi Haifa players celebrate in Greece, photo: Shahar Azran
What is your impression of Maccabi Haifa after the 0:4 over Olympiakos?
"I didn't have to wait for the second game in Greece to know that Maccabi Haifa is a quality team. In the first game, in Israel, they played very impressively, and of course the 0:4 on the Olympiakos field was even more impressive. We saw how strong they are. For us, as a Cypriot team, There were a lot of important things to take from this game, in preparation for the games against Maccabi Haifa, because we also have goals and desires to move forward."
"A chance to prove"
Five years ago, Rejcik and his family moved to Cyprus.
Over time, a good acquaintance was made with the owner of Apollon Limassol, and since then Rychik has become a member of the team's management.
Apollon's budget is almost half that of Maccabi Haifa, but that doesn't stop the Cypriots from dreaming of the playoffs.
In the past, Israeli teams struggled against Cypriot teams.
Last year, Anorthosis Famagusta knocked out Hapoel BS, and a few years earlier Apoel Nicosia got past Maccabi Tel Aviv.
"It's not just the competition against Israeli teams," explains Raychik, "I look at our team. Apollon competed very well in Europe against teams from France, Italy and other strong countries. We have an opportunity to show ourselves in Europe - from the players to the coaches - and this gives We have a chance to prove it."
Apollon players are preparing for Haifa, photo: from Twitter
Have you seen Sami Ofer full? Do you understand what you are coming towards?
"We saw the video and the game against Olympiakos, and it looks very powerful. On the other hand, our team is very professional and knows how to cope. It's very impressive, but for me it's an expectation of something positive, because a visit to Sami Ofer is the experience."
Maccabi Haifa fans are expected to arrive in Cyprus by the thousands, currently they have been allocated about 1,200 tickets. Is there an intention to increase the quantity?
"We are allocating what is required, as you said, about 1,200 tickets. We are not discussing it at the moment, these are the instructions and that is what we have given. The most important thing is the safety of the audience and the responsibility. We are going with what is healthier for us. I see how everyone is excited and it is possible that we could have sold More tickets, but that's not our main consideration."
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us