Hapoel Beer Sheva are the unknown quantity in Group C. The club was founded in 1949 – one year after the state of Israel – and promotion to the top-flight came in 1965. Beer Sheva, a town with a population of 200,000 in the south of Israel, is about 100 km away from Jerusalem on the edge of the Negev. Hapoel has its roots in the Israeli labour movement (the word Hapoel means worker). In the 1970s, the club were champions of Israel and Super Cup winners for the first time. Hapoel have won the national Ligat Toto five times – and recently three times in succession in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Hapoel Beer Sheva made their first European appearance in the middle of the 1990s qualifying for the first round of the UEFA Cup in 1995/96 where they were knocked out by Barcelona (0-5, 0-7). Hapoel were twice relegated to the second division after that. But the club has now been established in the first division for over a decade. The team coached by Yossi Abukasis finished fourth last season and they won the Israeli cup competition for the first time since 1997. They beat Maccabi Petah Tikva 2-0 in the final.
Hapoel Beer Sheva have battled their way through all four qualifying rounds in the Europa League this term knocking out Dinamo Batumi (Georgia, 3-0), KF Laci (Albania, 2-1), Motherwell (Scotland, 3-0) and Viktoria Pilsen (Czech Republic, 1-0). The top scorer in the qualifiers was the Portuguese Josué with four goals. The 30-year-old attacking midfielder joined from the youth set-up at FC Porto where he was in the first team squad for four years. And the captain Miguel Vitor (31) is also Portuguese. The central defender played for Benfica, Leicester City and PAOK Saloniki. The team also includes two Argentinian midfielders Mariano Bareiro and Marcelo Meli, the Colombian central striker Jhonathan Agudelo and winger Elton Acolatse, a Dutchman with Ghanaian routes. Coach Abukasis’ squad is full of international experience – something he does not possess. The 50-year-old has only coached Israeli sides and he was also assistant coach to the Israeli national team. And he never played abroad during his playing career.
Hapoel play their home games at an the Turner Stadium that opened in 2015 and has a capacity of 16,126.
Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and Bayer 04 loanee Francis Onyeka are part of Germany's final squad for the U19 European Championships this summer. The tournament is in Wales from 24 June to 12 July.
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Carles Martìnez is raring to go. The 42-year-old speaks in his first interview in Leverkusen about the club's development to date and how he wants to build on it. He describes his previous work in France, Kuwait, Qatar and his native Barcelona, his experience in developing young players, and the key steps between now and the start of pre-season training.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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