On march 2017
Maccabi Petah Tikva ended the regular stage of the Israel Premier League with a 0-1 defeat against FC Ashdod. A goal in the last minutes decided the match and marked the difference. The score was surprising as Maccabi had several occasions to score (and they hit the post in two occasions).
Carlos Cuéllar, who didn't play against Ashdod due to a yellow card accumulation, knew his team had secured the third position before the match. Nevertheless, any point added was going to be positive as it will count for the playoff qualification. Once the regular stage is over, the competition system is as follows: the six first teams will play against each other in a home and away match. Maccabi Petah Tikva, therefore, will have to play ten games from now on to see what their final position will be for the 2016-17 season.
In playoff, teams don't start from scratch. They all start with the same points with which they end the regular stage (48 in the case of Cuéllar). This means that the advantage Maccabi have over the fourth qualified it's a very important issue to end up the playoff in third position. A prize that would let them play the Europa League (entering on the first previous leg).
Maccabi's first appointment on the playoff will be next weekend.
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