Israel vs Kosovo prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-03-24 17:00.
As they look to break new ground by qualifying for a European Championships for the first time, Israel will open their campaign by creating some history as they meet Kosovo for the first-ever time. When missing Euro 2020 via a play-off loss to Scotland on penalties, Israel registered their worst Euro qualification record from their last four attempts in terms of win-loss record (W3, D3, L5), prompting the dismissal of manager Willi Ruttensteiner.
The nation has since reached new heights under current boss Alon Hazan, being promoted to UEFA Nations League A (UNL) for the first time, whilst also climbing to 76th in FIFA’s world rankings, 16 places above where they began their Euro 2020 qualification campaign. That rise came despite winning just two of their seven games in 2022 when starting as the favourites (D3, L2), a tag they carry here. Kicking off a new campaign at home should get them off to a positive start, particularly when they carry a seven-game unbeaten run at home in competitive football (W4, D3).
Kosovo had a mixed 2022 under French journeyman Alain Giresse, finishing third in their UNL C group for a second consecutive time prior to two underwhelming friendly draws at home to minnows Armenia (2-2) and Faroe Islands (1-1). There were no such surprises as far as their UNL journey was concerned, with all six matches won by the pre-match favourites of the day.
Giresse will be hoping that trend ends immediately, and he has brought to Tel Aviv a squad consisting of many players who ply their trade in Europe’s top-five leagues. His positive 4-3-3 formation has contributed to an exciting 15 total goals across Kosovo’s last four matches, but so far without the desired results (W1, D1, L2). With Kosovo on a run of seven straight games without a clean sheet, and having claimed just one during Euro 2020 qualifying, it appears likely that attacking play is their preferred path to success.
Players to watch: Israel forward Tai Baribo followed up his two goalscoring appearances for his country in November 2022 with five in a row for Austria’s Wolfsberger! Similarly, since notching up five goals and three assists in the previous UNL cycle, Kosovo’s Vedat Muriqi has accumulated eight competitive goals for La Liga club Mallorca.
Hot stat: All but one of Israel’s last 13 matches saw both teams score on the day.