France are set to take on Israel in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday, 14 November with the hosts needing just a point to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament.
France are currently in second place in League A Group Two and have a five-point lead over Belgium in third place.
Israel, meanwhile, are already resigned to relegation unless they can miraculously pull off a win at the Stade de France on Thursday and then beat Belgium on Sunday.
How the bookies view it: The hosts start as big favourites
The bookies expect France to make light work of Israel on Thursday night with Les Bleus priced at 1/9 to get the three points with Betfred. Israel are considered rank outsiders and have been priced at 20/1 to come out victorious at the Stade de France while the draw has been priced slightly shorter at 8/1.
Recent head-to-head: Advantage France
The two sides most recently met last month at the Bozsik Arena in Hungary. The match was played away from Israel due to the ongoing conflict in the country and France took full advantage of the lack of home support by defeating Israel 4-1.
Beyond that, the two sides last met in 2005 as part of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. Both ties in that qualifying campaign finished level.
Players to watch: The pressure is on in Mbappe's absence
Kylian Mbappe is the headline maker once again after he wasn't called up by Didier Deschamps to be part of the France squad for this next round of fixtures. The mercurial talent has reportedly fallen out with Deschamps and there is now a real possibility that he won't play again for the national team while Deschamps is the manager.
It goes without saying that whoever steps in for the Real Madrid forward has some pretty big shoes to fill. Kolo Muani played up top for France in their last match in the Nations League and he scored twice as they picked up a crucial win over Belgium.
While Muani is expected to start up top, the player who could provide France with an added bit of ‘x factor' in Mbappe's absence is the man who has effectively replaced him at PSG, Bradley Barcola. The 22-year-old is currently the top scorer in Ligue One after netting ten goals in eleven appearances. He now has to start showing that form for the national team.
Predicted line-ups
While Mbappe is the most notable absentee from the Fresh squad, they are also missing three other players who are usually in and around the first team in Aurelien Tchouameni, Loic Bade and Wesley Fofana. The biggest news from the Israel camp is that first-choice goalkeeper, Omri Glazer, is unavailable.
France: Maignan – Kounde, Konate, Saliba, Hernandez – Camavinga, Kante – Dembele, Olise, Barcola – Kolo Muani
Israel: Peretz; – Dasa, Feingold, Nachimas – Abada, Kanichowsky, Fani, Haziza – Gandelman, Baribo, Gloukh
Anything else catch the eye?
Israel have shipped three or more goals in three of their four Nations League matches so far and one of those was against France just last month. France to score over 2.5 goals on Thursday night has been priced at 4/7 by Betfred.
This UEFA Nations League match between France and Israel will be played on Nov 14, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best France vs Israel prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
