Israel vs Romania prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-11-17 19:45.
Israel’s late equaliser against Switzerland (D 1-1) boosted their chances of automatically qualifying for UEFA Euro 2024, but as they’re still trailing the Swiss and next opponents Romania by four points, they’ve got to push for a win to remain in contention. A draw won’t be enough should Switzerland also win but Israel are guaranteed a play-off place via the UEFA Nations League so all three sides may yet make it.
The Sky Blue and Whites have lost just one of their last six internationals (W3, D2), although action may be at a premium as their last four European Championship qualifiers (ECQ) produced exactly one or two goals (W1, D2, L1). They should feel somewhat confident and relaxed about playing in neutral Hungary due to the ongoing conflict back home, especially after a 2-1 win over Belarus in Budapest earlier in the year.
By the time this game kicks off, Romania will have gone over a year since losing (W5, D4), so confidence should be high as they make the trip north. Three consecutive ECQ clean sheets (W2, D1) since drawing 1-1 with Israel in September has put them on the cusp of qualifying for their first major tournament since 2016, with a point here enough to guarantee them a top-two spot.
The Tricolours have drawn their last three ECQ games on foreign soil (including one in Hungary), and the last two H2Hs anywhere, so a repeat could be on the cards as they look to seal qualification before playing Switzerland on Tuesday. That might then allow manager Edward Iordǎnescu to hand debuts to the three uncapped players he’s called up: Bogdan Racoviţan, Andres Dumitrescu and Andrei Artean.
Players to watch: Shon Weissman’s strike against Switzerland saw him find the net after the 80th minute for the third time in as many goalscoring appearances for club and country. Denis Alibec, who netted for Romania against Israel in September, scored and assisted twice for Muaither in his latest match in the Qatari top-flight.
Hot streak: Israel haven’t scored before the 40th minute across their last nine games (W3, D3, L3).