Switzerland-Israel is a match on the second day of Euro 2024 qualifying Group I and is played on Tuesday at 20:45: TV, predictions.
Great favourites for first place in Group I, Switzerland lived up to expectations in their opening match of the Euro 2024 qualifiers with a five-goal thrashing of hapless Belarus on the neutral pitch in Novi Sad, Serbia. Everything was too easy for the Swiss, who after the first half an hour were already ahead by three goals thanks to the fast hat-trick of a wild Steffen, Lugano’s forward.
In the second half, Xhaka and Amdouni completed the job, fulfilling the requests of the technical commissioner Murat Yakin, who demanded a convincing restart to forget that humiliating 6-1 against Portugal in the Qatar 2022 round of 16. The Red Swiss selection had to make up for the ugly defeat they suffered last December against the Lusitanians, which somewhat overshadowed the good things they had done previously, by snatching qualification for the knockout phase in a fairly tough grouping with Brazil, Cameroon and Serbia. Coming into the draw as the top seed, it should be a no-brainer for Switzerland to qualify for the European Championship in Germany: Romania and Israel, the two selections that could theoretically put a spoke in its wheels, do not seem to be able to challenge it.
Israel stopped by Kosovo in their debut match
Beating Alon Hazan’s men in the Geneva match would mean taking another big step towards the goal
Israel players in training
Israel made their debut with a draw, stopped at home (1-1) by a tough Kosovo, who are candidates for the role of outsiders in a group where, excluding Switzerland, the hierarchies are not yet well defined. Promoted from the Under-21, selector Hazan dreams of being the first coach, after fifty-four years, to allow the Israeli national team to play its second final phase of a major international event: the only precedent is the participation in the 1970 Mexican World Cup. Hazan is relying heavily on the flair of Fulham’s outside back Solomon, but also on former Venezia midfielder Peretz, who scored the equalising goal in the match against Kosovo.
The Prediction
Despite the absences of Shaqiri and Embolo, who withdrew after the match against Belarus, Switzerland remain favourites for victory. Israel, however, will prove a tougher customer than the Belarusians. In their last nine matches they have always scored at least one goal and should manage it again on this occasion.
The Switzerland-Israel line-up
- SWISS (4-3-2-1): Sommer; Widmer, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez; Freuler, Zakaria, Xhaka; Steffen, Vargas; Okafor.
- ISRAEL (4-3-3): Glazer; Dasa, Vitor, Shlomo, Leidner; Gloukh, Lavi, Peretz; Haziza, Weissman, Solomon.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 3-1
