Hapoel Be'er Sheva v Motherwell: lowdown on Israeli opponents looking to end Fir Park side's European run

All you need to know about Stephen Robinson’s men Europa League rivals

Motherwell goalkeeper Trevor Carson (L) celebrates winning the penalty shootout with Declan Gallagher and Stephen O'Donnell after the Europa League qualifier in Coleraine. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Motherwell face Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the third-qualifying round of the Europa League on Thursday.The Fir Park side squeezed past Northern Irish side Coleraine on penalties to earn their shot against the Israelis.Here is the lowdown on the next opponents for Stephen Robinson's team.

Form

It was a mixed bag for Be’er Sheva last year. They finished fourth in the Israeli Premier League, winning just 15 of their 36 league games, before claiming the State Cup with a 2-0 final win over Maccabi Petah Tikva. That inconsistency has continued. After losing the Israeli Super Cup 4-0 on aggregate to Maccabi Tel Aviv, they have kicked off their league campaign with two wins out of three. They teed up their showdown with Motherwell by beating Georgians Dinamo Batumi 3-0 last week.

Manager

Rangers fans may remember Yossi Abukasis after he netted a penalty to put former club Beitar Jerusalem ahead in a UEFA Cup tie with Dick Advocaat's Ibrox side in 1998. He won three Israeli league titles and two State Cups as a player before moving into management. The 50-year-old served Bnei Yehuda as boss across three spells, leading the club to a State Cup win in 1999, before the repeating the feat a year later with Be’er Sheva.

Players

Motherwell will have to watch out for former Portugal international Josue Pesqueira. The 30-year-old - capped four times by his country - started his career at Porto and has also had spells in Turkey with Bursaspor and Galatasaray. With three goals in four games so far, the playmaker is the dangerman for Abukasis team.

European record

Be’er Sheva's early European forays were harsh lessons in facing the continental elite. Barcelona dished out a 12-0 UEFA Cup aggregate beating in 1995 while they were walloped 14-0 over two legs by Dutch side Rode in a Cup Winners’ Cup tie two years later. But a takeover by Israeli business tycoon Alona Barkat sparked an upturn and in 2016 they were handed a Europa League group stage ticket - consolation for missing out on the Champions League after losing narrowly to Brendan Rodgers' Celtic 5-4 on aggregate. They made it as far as the last 32 before being exiting to Besiktas.

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.Joy YatesEditorial Director