Israel vs Estonia prediction: EUROPE: World Championship – Qualification betting tips on match 2025-03-21 19:45.
[p]Israel begin their World Cup qualification (WCQ) campaign as they look to reach just a second-ever major tournament – and the first since 1970. Coming into this on the back of a dreadful campaign in the UEFA Nations League which saw them relegated from League A (W1, D1, L4), Israel will hope to fare better as they face a lower calibre of side in this group. [/p]
[p]Due to ongoing security issues, Israel will begin their ‘home’ campaign in the Hungarian city of Debrecen, eroding some home advantage they would usually enjoy in this fixture. That’s particularly notable as while Israel are unbeaten in their last four WCQ home games (W3, D1), they’ve won just once since playing all of their home games in Hungary from November 2023 onwards (W1, D1, L4). [/p]
[p]Having never qualified for a World Cup in their history, Group I’s second-lowest ranked side Estonia (#123) may just be looking to avoid the ignominy of finishing at the bottom of the pile. Picking up no more than two victories in three of their last four WCQ cycles, five of Estonia’s last six WCQ wins came against fellow sides currently ranked outside of the top-100 by FIFA, with the exception of #98-ranked Belarus. [/p]
[p]That return will hardly boost confidence as they travel to face 76th-ranked Israel, especially as Estonia have won just once in away WCQ action since the beginning of 2013 (D3, L8). Each of their last 12 away WCQ losses saw at least a two-goal margin in a run stretching back to 2008, with 13 of the last 14 WCQ goals they conceded on the road coming on or beyond the 45th minute.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Manor Solomon directly contributed to five goals in ten WCQ games for Israel last time around (G2, A3) and is enjoying a fine season for Leeds, with his last four club goals arriving before half-time. Estonia’s Rauno Sappinen is in good form for club side Flora, with three goal involvements across his last three appearances (G2, A1), and his last two international strikes came against sides currently ranked above Estonia by FIFA. [/p]
[p]Hot streak: Israel have scored exactly once in their last seven games as the designated home team.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Matthew Billon[/i][/p]