England vs Israel
, KO: 17:00 Jun 25, 2023, Shengelia Arena, Kutaisi, Georgia
ENGLAND got their Under 21s Euros off to a bloodless start with a relatively comfortable win over Czech Republic in their opening game in Georgia.
And they will aim to make it two wins in a row when they face Israel on Sunday in Kutaisi.
Lee Carsley's men had to wait until deep into injury time before finally sealing the win after Jacob Ramsey's opener after the break when Arsenal ace Emile Smith Rowe sealed it.
However, they are up against a dangerous Israeli side who showed how difficult they can be by claiming a 1-1 draw in their opening game with one of the tournament favourites, Germany.
And that score was made all the more remarkable by the fact they had to play with ten men for the entire second half after Eden Karzev was sent off.
Despite conceding 78 per cent of possession to the Germans, they held firm for a point.
This is regarded as something of a golden generation for Israeli's youngsters whose entire squad is based in their homeland with the xecption of three kids, including Red Bull Salzburg wonderkid Oscar Gloukh, who was strongly linked with a switch to Celtic before he moved to Austria instead.
How the bookies view it
England are firm favourites here at 3/10 with BetVictor, and they are as short as 1/4 in places.
Israel can be backed at 10/1 with Coral and the draw is 4/1 with Paddy Power.
Recent head to heads
The nations played once ten years ago in the Euros too and Israel stunned an England team including Jordan Henderson and Wilfried Zaha by winning 1-0.
Players to watch
Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon started in an advanced role against the Czechs and the £40 million youngster will be of interest once the goalscorers markets come up.
Oscar Gloukh has already been capped five times for the full team and as stated, is regarded as one of Israel's top talent for the future. He scored against Belarus earlier this month in a Euro 2024 qualifier and could be a decent shout for a goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
England should comfortably justify favouritism and make it two wins out two here. Back them to get the better of Israel at half time and full time at Ladbrokes with 10/11.
Defending with ten men for 45 minutes must have taken a lot out of the Israelis and you often get a dip in the second game in the tournament if an underdog produces an unexpectedly good result in the opener.
Lee Carsley's team are packed with attacking talent and could take advantage of tired opposition. Back them to score three goals or more at 6/4 with Paddy Power.
This match between England and Israel will be played on Jun 25, 2023 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best England vs Israel prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
