France vs Israel

France’s pursuit of the UEFA Nations League playoffs continues with a must-win home clash against Israel at the Stade de France.

Despite a 3-1 home defeat to Italy at the beginning of their Group A2 campaign, France’s bid to secure a top-table finish is firmly back on track after three consecutive victories saw them reduce the gap on ‘Gli Azzurri’ to a single point. With the two teams set to lock horns in a top-of-the-table clash on the final matchday, Didier Deschamps’ men could secure a favorable position with a win, considering the Italians head to Belgium. Simply avoiding defeat would help them qualify for the quarter-finals. That looks inevitable, considering the French haven’t lost any of their seven previous encounters against Israel (W4, D3), including a dominant 4-1 win in the reverse fixture last month. Even with Kylian Mbappe’s omission, France netted multiple goals in both Nations League outings in October, showing they can pack a punch without their captain.

On the other hand, Israel’s maiden appearance in League A has proved a tall order for the Eastern European country, with the visitors losing all four Group A2 matches via an aggregate score of 13-4. There’s nothing but pride left to play for unless they somehow defy the odds in Paris. Nailed to the bottom of the table, Ran Ben Shimon’s men suffered back-to-back 4-1 defeats in October. Lapses of concentration in the later stages of play saw them concede precisely two goals beyond the 70th minute on both occasions. However, they’re decent value to get on the scoreboard, considering they’ve found the back of the net in all four League A games this autumn.