Israel vs Belarus prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-09-11 18:45.
Israel (FIFA rank: #76) came from behind to draw 1-1 with Romania on Saturday that not only left manager Alon Hazan “full of admiration”, but kept them in third place in Group I of this UEFA European Championships qualification (ECQ) cycle with a three-game unbeaten run (W2, D1). They have already secured a play-off berth via the UEFA Nations League at worst, but a top-two place and automatic qualification for a first major tournament since 1970 is still within reach.
They will start the second half of this ECQ period by taking on Belarus (FIFA rank: #98), against whom they needed two late strikes to win 2-1 in Budapest in June in what was remarkably the fifth consecutive H2H to feature exactly three goals (W3, L2)! The Blue and Whites did notably lose the last H2H they hosted (W2), although this will be the first competitive meeting between the two sides to take place in the city of Tel Aviv.
The visitors’ chances of reaching Euro 2024 were already slim before they could only draw 0-0 with micronation Andorra at the weekend, as Carlos Alós was unable to start his tenure with a victory. After a game in which Belarus picked up more yellow cards (five) than they managed shots on target (three), they sit four points behind Israel and five behind the top two with five games remaining (W1, D1, L3).
A small milestone was achieved as they kept their first clean sheet in an ECQ away game since October 2015, but the White Wings will need to do a better job to repeat the trick against Israel, especially as they’ve won only one of their last seven ECQ road fixtures (D1, L5). As their last five internationals on foreign soil produced an average of 2.8 goals per game, both defences could be busy.
Players to watch: Oscar Gloukh salvaged a point for Israel against Romania and scored the winner against Belarus in June, with both goals arriving after the 50th minute. Another potential late scorer is Vladislav Morozov, who has netted twice after the 70th minute across Belarus’ last four games.
Hot streak: Both teams scored in all six prior H2Hs (Israel: W4, L2).