Israel vs France prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League A betting tips on match 2024-10-09 18:45.
[p]Life in the top-tier of the UEFA Nations League (UNL) is proving every bit as tough as Israel expected. Ran Ben Shimon’s men were beaten by both Italy and Belgium in their opening two games of this cycle, and with the mighty France Israel’s next opponents, things don’t look like they’re about to get any easier.[/p]
[p]Making life harder for them is a lack of home-field advantage, with this contest taking place in Budapest because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. That’s all the more frustrating for Israel considering that they’d lost just one of their previous seven UNL games on their own turf (W4, D2), but this calendar year has been a struggle for them at any venue, as the only time they’ve tasted victory in 2024 came in a friendly against Belarus (L4)![/p]
[p]However, the arrival of a France squad conspicuous by the absence of a number of marquee players from their decade of impressive major tournament displays could open the door for a revival. Stalwart Antoine Griezmann recently retired from international football after 137 caps for his country, while captain and talisman Kylian Mbappé has been left out altogether after reportedly enraging manager Didier Deschamps for returning early from an injury for Real Madrid.[/p]
[p]It’s far from an ideal backdrop as Les Bleus try to improve on a wretched recent record in this competition. Since winning the 2020/21 edition, France have won just two of their eight UNL matches (D2, L4), with one of those losses coming on matchday one of this cycle against Italy. Deschamps’ men have since beaten Belgium, giving them the chance to win consecutive competitive matches (in regulation time) for the first time since November.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: With Manor Solomon struggling with a hamstring injury, Oscar Gloukh may be asked to step up for Israel. His two previous competitive strikes for his country both arrived after half-time and earned his country points (W1, D1). In Mbappé’s absence, Michael Olise could be the man to take up the French mantle. He’s directly contributed to nine goals in his six club matches since the last international break alone (G6, A3)![/p]
[p]Hot stat: Just three of the previous nine H2Hs have been decided by multi-goal margins (FRA: W4, D4, L1).[/p]
[p][i]Written by Ryan Fisher[/i][/p]