Israel vs France Prediction: Olise can produce the goods in Budapest

France came up slightly short at Euro 2024 and Didier Deschamps’ side were stunned in their Nations League opener last month as Italy thumped them 3-1 at home. They responded by beating Belgium, and next up they face Israel, in a game they will be expected to get three points in.

Given the ongoing dangerous situation in the Middle East, this match will take place at the Bozsik Arena in Budapest, with kick-off scheduled for 19:45 on Thursday. Below you can find my Israel vs France prediction, featuring betting tips and team news. 

Team News

Manor Solomon remains the biggest name in Israel’s squad and the tricky winger, now at Leeds United, will hope to cause France problems in the Hungarian capital. Gent midfielder Omri Gandelman has broken into the side recently and should get his third cap here, while Tai Baribo of Philadelphia Union may start up front. 

Football Odds

The big discussion around France’s squad has to be the omission of captain Kylian Mbappe. He’s not featured that heavily for Real Madrid recently and life in Spain hasn’t been easy for the superstar so far, with Deschamps saying he was not in the squad because he is “not prepared”. Read into that what you will. 

It means there will be a new captain the 2022 World Cup finalists, as the likes of Ibrahima Konate throw their hats into the ring, with some French fans feeling as though Mbappe has disrespected them by missing these games. It’s a situation that is well worth keeping an eye on, but in his absence, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Randal Kolo Muani and Christopher Nkunku will be trusted to get the goals. 

Israel vs France Odds

Israel are priced at 14/1 to win this game with France available at 1/5 for the win. A draw can be backed at 6/1, over 2.5 goals is 1/2 and BTTS is 11/10. 

France -2 @ 8/5

France are going to win this game, of that I am pretty sure. Israel did well to get promoted to this tier of the Nations League but now are battling it out with the big boys. They’ve lost to both Belgium and Italy so far, but to their credit they’ve scored in both despite being second best. 

However, even without Mbappe, I think France are the strongest team in this group, and their wealth of attacking talent means that I don’t think they will miss Mbappe all that much. Nkunku is looking to make his first appearance for almost a year for his country, and I think France will be far too strong for Israel on Thursday night.

Michael Olise to score two or more @ 17/2

I’m going to pick out Michael Olise to score a brace against Israel. I think Ousmane Dembele is still ahead of him in the France pecking order due to experience, but I don’t think Deschamps can leave the Bayern Munich man out for much longer. Against Israel, I think Olise will be handed an opportunity to start and a player of his talent can cause chaos. 

He has been flying for Bayern ever since his move from Crystal Palace and now looks like one of the finest wingers in the world. He has scored six goals so far this season, and has two in two in the Champions League, and that level of goalscoring form cannot go unnoticed. If he gets the minutes, I think this selection offers excellent value. 

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