Israel will take on Italy in the UEFA Nations League on Monday, 9 September with the 2024/25 edition of the tournament now up and running.
Italy recorded an impressive victory away in France on matchday one which has put them in a brilliant early position in League A Group Two.
Meanwhile, Israel succumbed to a 3-1 loss away against Belgium which wasn't the start they were hoping for despite being the underdogs in the group.
How the bookies view it: Italy go in as heavy favourites
Italy were always going to be favourites for this one but their odds have shortened in the wake of their 3-1 victory over France on Friday night. A victory for Italy has been priced at 3/10 by Betfred while a win for Israel has been priced at 9/1. The draw, which would at least get Israel off the mark in the group, has been priced at 9/2.
Recent head-to-head: Italian dominance
Throughout history, Israel and Italy have only played each other five times and Israel are yet to record a victory over the Azzurri. Italy have won four of the five matches, with the two most recent fixtures coming in 2017 (Italy 1-0 Israel) and 2016 (Israel 1-3 Italy).
The only time Israel managed to avoid defeat against Italy came in the group stages of the 1970 World Cup. It wasn't all bad news for Italy, though, as they made it all the way to the final that year.
Players to watch: A strong Italian midfield
Italy had a summer to forget at Euro 2024, getting knocked out by Switzerland in the Round of 16. The powers that be have stood by Luciano Spalletti and based on their performance against France, that might have been a wise decision.
Italy's dominant performance in Paris was thanks in large to the performance of their midfield. The return of Sandro Tonali is certainly a welcome one and his energy against France was invaluable. However, the Newcastle man wasn't the best Italian midfielder on the night as that was Davide Fratessi.
The Inter Milan midfield bossed the engine room and got on top of N'golo Kante throughout the night. The 24-year-old topped his evening off by getting on the scoresheet, scoring the goal that put Italy ahead on the night just after half-time.
Predicted line-ups
Luciano Spalletti made eight changes to the starting XI that lost to Switzerland at the Euros on Friday night and considering it worked, there's no reason for him to change here. For Israel, Eli Dasa could return to the team as captain but is in a battle to recover from injury. Dean David could also get the nod up front.
Israel: Gerafi – Jehezkel, Shlomo, Nachmias, Gandelman, Gropper – Lavi, Peretz – Solomon, Gloukh – Khalaili
Italy: Donnarumma – Cambiaso, Di Lorenzo, Calafiori, Bastoni, Dimarco – Ricci, Tonali, Frattesi – Raspadori, Retegui
Anything else catch the eye?
Italy have clearly changed how they are going to approach matches in the wake of Euro 2024 so we anticipate another open and attacking performance from the Azzurri. Israel, meanwhile, are frequently involved in high-scoring matches – three or more goals have been scored in their last four matches. Over 2.5 goals to be scored has been priced at 4/7 with Betfred.
This UEFA Nations League match between Israel and Italy will be played on Sep 9, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Israel vs Italy prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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