Arvaladze confident ahead of Dundalk Europa League Clash

Maccabi Tel Aviv manager Shota Arvaladze is confident ahead of his team’s Europa League clash against Dundalk in Tallaght Stadium on Thursday evening (kick off 8.05pm).

Speaking to the media at the pre-match press conference in Tallaght the former Rangers player stated that he had a "good feeling" for their fixture against the League of Ireland champions. This despite the fact that on the opening night of the Europa League, they somehow managed to lose a game that they led 3-0 with just 13 minutes remaining.

"Our first game against Zenit was very good, but ended like a disaster,” said Arvaladve. “This Dundalk game is very crucial and it is important to show how good we are.”

He is hoping for a less eventful game and certainly a less eventful visit to Dublin from his last time in Ireland when he spent a number of days in hospital due to illness.

The Maccabi manager was in Dublin as part of a Georgian squad who lost 2-0 to Ireland in a Euro 2004 qualifier. He didn’t get a warm welcome from the home crowd that day due to the club he was playing with at the time.

"I remember the game and especially being in the hospital for the four days I spent here. I took a lot of painkillers and it almost cost me my health. The medical staff did a good job.

"I remember that match because I came from Glasgow Rangers and the whole crowd whistled me with much contempt, but it was nice, you know, it’s Ireland!"

His team this time around come into the match top of the Israeli league by six points after five wins and a draw from their opening six league games. They won their last outing on Sunday 5-0 against Hapoel in the Tel Aviv derby. However that victory was earned without one of their star players Yossi Benayoun.

When extratime.ie asked about the absence of the 97 times caped Israeli international, Arvaladve stated that Benayoun was “not injured, is here and was fully ready for selection.

"We will put our best team out right now, football is not about resting, it is about winning and winning trophies. This is the last game before we have a short break (for Rosh Hashanah) and I’m happy all the squad are healthy.”

Unsurprisingly he has done his homework on the Lilywhites, name checking the in-form Daryl Horgan and striker David McMillan who has scored five times in Europe this season.

“We followed Dundalk and watched the games they played in Europe. They want to move the ball and their striker (David) McMillan can score a lot of goals. (Daryl) Horgan also is an excellent player.”

Arvaladze also very complimentary of the style of play deployed by Stephen Kenny’s Dundalk. It had “surprised” him because he imagined a “British” type of football with “long balls and a 4-4-2, but this is not what I have seen. The philosophy has been the same all the games, they want to hold the ball.”

“I don’t know the philosophy of football in Ireland but I can see Dundalk being very dominant.” This was in contrast to Tal Ben Haim who expects something very "physical" from Thursday’s game.

Maccabi seem to be coping well domestically anyway without their star striker from last season Eran Zahavi who is now playing in China.  “He’s now part of the club’s history," said their captain Gal Alberman when asked by extratime.ie about the departure of the Israeli international captain from their team.

Alberman said that Maccabi were developing all the time now and the philosophy of their Director of Football Jordi Cruyff is to "pass" the ball and that the team is headed in a strong direction.

See also Caoimhin Reilly's match preview here and a full profile of Maccabi Tel Aviv here.