Israel vs Iceland prediction and betting tips on March 21, 2024
Game Prediction
On Thursday, big football will return to Budapest. As often happens with this city, teams choose it when they cannot host their opponents for various reasons. This is exactly what the Israeli national team did. They will start their playoff journey for a spot in Euro 2024, facing Iceland. The website's editorial team has published a prediction for this match on March 21, 2024.
Israel has rarely been this close to success in European football
The Blue and Whites represent an interesting anomaly as the national team of a country located in the Middle East. Initially, they enjoyed stable success in Asian football, even qualifying for the World Cup and achieving a series of medals in the Asian Cup, including a gold. However, due to purely political reasons, the team was relocated to the more comfortable UEFA environment but with higher competition. Frankly speaking, the Israelis have struggled to keep up, often remaining mid-tier teams. There were chances to finish at least second in the relatively easy group this time, but last fall, the country had other priorities than sports. Nevertheless, they now have another chance through the playoffs.
Iceland may remind everyone of their capabilities
The Icelanders made waves in the last decade. With a population of just a couple of hundred thousand people and situated in a remote location with challenging weather conditions, they earned the right to play in the Euros, reaching the quarter-finals. Immediately after, they made their World Cup debut, albeit without notable success, only managing a draw against Argentina. After that, the team struggled in qualifiers for all tournaments, including just 10 points in 2023, one per match. However, draws against Israel and Albania in the Nations League proved sufficient to reach the playoffs.
Previous matches
Before the mentioned draws in the Nations League, Israel won 3-2 in a friendly match in 2010.
Free prediction for the Israel vs. Iceland match on March 21:
The nominal hosts are certainly not weaker and should strive for success. A safe bet would be on them with a "draw no bet" option (odds - 1.61).