Glory boys inspire Hapoel

Three seasoned campaigners are hoping to help Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC emulate their best European performance when they take on Rangers FC in the UEFA Cup.

Veteran players
Hapoel coach Nir Levin believes 36-year-old midfielder Josef Abukasis and 35-year-old goalkeeper Shavit Elimelech - veterans of Hapoel's trip to the 2001/02 UEFA Cup quarter-finals, where they lost to AC Milan - can help the Israeli club reach the last 16 again. Levin, a former Israel striker who replaced Itzhak Shum as coach last week, expects business as usual at the Bloomfield Stadium when Walter Smith's men come calling. "Nothing has changed since I arrived because the players are the same players," he said. "I am excited by the occasion as European matches have their magical moments."

European campaigns
Levin twice won the State Cup with Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC and in 2001/02 led them to the second round of the UEFA Cup. Meanwhile, Hapoel were enjoying their best season in European competition. En route to the quarter-finals they overcame Chelsea FC, FC Lokomotiv Moskva and Parma FC, thanks largely to their home form, something Abukasis insists must be repeated if they are to get past Rangers this time round. "The only chance we stand against Rangers is if we win at home and that depends a lot on our fans," he said. "We proved in the past that with an advantage from the first leg, anything is possible. We did that against Chelsea, Parma, Lokomotiv and Milan. If we fail to win at home we will have no chance."

Winning performance
Abukasis set up Hapoel's second goal in added time at home to Chelsea that year, and that 2-0 victory was made to count thanks to Elimelech, whose superb performance in the second leg ensured Hapoel held on for a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. "Chelsea managed to hit the target 36 times [that night] and still didn't go through, so anything can happen," Elimelech said.

Pundit role
Working as a pundit on Israeli TV, Levin watched Rangers beat Maccabi Haifa FC 2-0 in Glasgow during the group stage, but he is not particularly daunted by what he saw. "Rangers are a very talented and experienced side whose trophy room speaks for itself, but I am excited by the challenge," he said. Central midfielder Javier Paez is suspended for tonight's game, but the 44-year-old coach welcomes striker Elyaniv Barda back from injury and could hand a debut to 25-year-old Wellington. With the Brazilian's help, Hapoel could achieve a famous European victory while Rangers would meet their Waterloo.