Israel vs Italy prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League A betting tips on match 2024-09-08 18:45.
[p]Bozsik Aréna in Budapest plays host to this UEFA Nations League (UNL) fixture between Israel and Italy, who meet for the first time since FIFA World Cup 2018 qualification, when Israel lost both H2Hs. The Sky Blue and Whites have enjoyed success on the international stage more recently, gaining promotion to the UNL top tier after winning their League B group in 2022/23, although they were defeated 3-1 by Belgium on Friday in their first-ever game in League A. [/p]
[p]This match will be Israel’s seventh on Hungarian soil over the last ten months, but the country doesn’t feel like home for them as they’ve won just once in six previous games there (D1, L4). In order to improve this statistic, manager Ran Ben Shimon will have to strengthen the team’s leaky defence, as they have now conceded 3+ goals in three of their last four outings, but the prospect of playing in a strong League A group doesn’t suggest that things will get any easier. [/p]
[p]That certainly promises to be the case against an Italy side who defeated France 3-1 on Friday night to open their UNL campaign with a victory for the first time ever. That win was made even more impressive by the fact they recovered from conceding the fastest goal in UNL history, and having leaked the quickest goal in European Championship history against Albania over the summer, slow starts are becoming a regular occurrence for Luciano Spalletti’s side.[/p]
[p]Beating Les Bleus for the first time in 16 years was exactly the reaction Spalletti would have been looking for after the Euro 2024 failure this summer which saw Italy exit at the last 16 stage after some rather dismal displays. The UNL may be the right competition for their redemption, as Italy have topped their group in each of the last two editions and have now lost just one of their last 13 group-stage matches (W7, D5, L1).[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Anan Khalaili remains in search of his first strike of the season, which could arrive late as four of his last five goals have come after half-time. That is also a period when Giacomo Raspadori is dangerous, as his goal against France was his eighth out of his last nine competitive strikes to have arrived after the break.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Just one of Israel’s last 17 matches was goalless at half-time.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tomáš Vlasák[/i][/p]