Andorra vs Israel prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-11-20 19:45.
As one of Europeâs lowest ranked FIFA nations (153), it has come as no surprise that Andorra were the âwhipping boysâ of Group I in 2023 UEFA European Championship qualifying (ECQ). A 1-0 loss to fellow strugglers Belarus over the weekend sees them enter this final matchday still winless (D2, L7), which has in turn extended their overall ECQ record as an independent nation to 65 losses from 69 attempts (W1, D3)!
The hosts will be playing for pride as they are also out of contention from a potential playoff appearance due to their poor UEFA Nations League campaign. But they could write some positive history with a strong performance here, as scoring one more goal would see them equal their best ever return in a single ECQ tournament (four in 2016). On a more negative note, their standing record of conceding 20 times during an ECQ campaign of at least ten matches could also be beaten this time around as theyâve let in 18 to date!
Despite taking the lead, visiting Israel fell to a 2-1 defeat vs Romania in Hungary on Saturday which saw their hopes of finishing in the top two of Group I extinguished. The silver lining is that the visitors have already qualified to take part in next Marchâs play-offs as UEFA Nations League B2 winners and could therefore still make it to Euro 2024 in Germany next summer.
The indefinite pause of football in Israel appears to be having an enormous effect on the national teamâs results, as they failed to win any of their three previous ECQs over the past week (D1, L2) after losing just one of the six (W3, D2) that took place prior to the onset of the conflict in Gaza. This is an excellent opportunity not only to end 2023 on a high but also extend their run of five consecutive H2H victories.
Players to watch: MĂĄrcio Vieira is set to make his 127th appearance for Andorra, which sees him closing in on the title of being the countryâs most capped player of all time. He has only ever managed to score twice in that time, though! Thatâs a scoring tally that Israel's Oscar Gloukh has matched during this ECQ cycle alone (G2), with both of his goals coming after half-time.
Hot stat: Just one of Israelâs last 11 ECQ matches saw a team score 3+ goals.