Israel vs Iceland Prediction: Hazan’s improvers to strike gold in Budapest

Israel and Iceland are two steps away from a rare appearance at a major finals tournament, the first hurdle of which will need to be cleared in Budapest on Thursday.

Israel, notionally the home team, are hosting in neutral Hungary and the reward for the winner is a showdown with either Bosnia or Ukraine next Tuesday for a place at this summer’s European Championship.

Team News

All-time top scorer 36-year-old Eran Zahavi will play at the top of Alon Hazan’s 4-2-3-1 set-up. Israel are without injured Tottenham Hotspur star Manor Solomon so all eyes are on teenage superstar Oscar Gloukh.

Gylfi Sigurdsson has been omitted by Age Hareide which means Iceland will be looking to Genoa’s Albert Gudmundsson and Burnley’s Johan Berg Gudmundsson for inspiration in a 4-3-3 line-up.

Match Odds

Israel are 5/4 to beat Iceland in Budapest with Hareide’s men available at 23/10.

Three of the five meetings between these sides have ended in 2-2 draws. A fourth draw is a 9/4 chance while another 2-2 is 14/1 in the Correct Score market.

Israel to win @ 5/4

Israel and Iceland are rarely so close to a major finals and it’s Hazan’s men who look best equipped to be taking that extra step towards another one on Thursday night.

Israel have only ever qualified for a major tournament once and that was 54 years ago at the 1970 World Cup. Iceland’s successes are more recent having reached the 2016 European Championship and the World Cup two years later, making the last eight of the Euros eight years back.

The winner in neutral Budapest will be one step away from a place at this summer’s European Championship in Germany, the final obstacle being either Bosnia or Ukraine next Tuesday.

The match is being staged in Hungary and it means a return to the Szusza Ferenc Stadium where Israel beat Belarus 2-1 last June, when the Belarussians were listed as the home team.

Israel look the value to see off Iceland because they seem the more progressive of the two teams.

During qualifying they finished a close third behind Romania and Switzerland, taking points off each of those two.

Iceland, in contrast, finished a remote fourth in their group, not only trailing behind Portugal and Slovakia, but also seven points adrift of Luxembourg.

Over 9.5 Corners @ 11/10

It will be tense in Budapest given the size of the stakes but the winner-takes-all set-up means a positive intent should get its rewards.

And these teams demonstrated in qualifying they can be positive, a fact backed up by their corner counts.

Israel averaged 5.4 corners per game, Iceland 4.6, so take the 11/10 that between them they go over 9.5.

Euro 24 betting tips from Betfred Insights.