Italy will look to maintain their position atop UEFA Nations League Group A2 when they host Israel at the Stadio Friuli in Udine on Monday evening. The Azzurri are unbeaten so far in the competition but will be eager to return to winning ways after a 2-2 draw with Belgium last time out.
Luciano Spalletti’s side started brightly against the Belgians, racing into a 2-0 lead through goals from Andrea Cambiaso and Mateo Retegui. However, Lorenzo Pellegrini’s red card just before halftime changed the complexion of the match, allowing Belgium to fight back for a point. Despite the setback, Italy remain in pole position in the group with 7 points from 3 games.
Israel, meanwhile, are rooted to the bottom of the table after losing all three of their matches so far. Ran Ben Shimon’s team were comprehensively beaten 4-1 by France in their last outing and face an uphill battle to avoid relegation from League A. The visitors have struggled defensively, conceding 9 goals already in the competition.
When the teams met last month in Budapest, Italy emerged with a 2-1 victory. The Azzurri will be confident of repeating that result on home soil, especially given Israel’s poor recent form of just two wins in their last 10 matches.
Team News
Spalletti will be forced into at least one change due to Pellegrini’s suspension. Giacomo Raspadori is favored to partner Retegui up front, while Daniel Maldini could be in line for his international debut. The hosts are still without several key players through injury, including Federico Chiesa, Nicolo Barella and Gianluca Scamacca.
Israel continue to be without captain Eli Dasa and promising forward Dor Turgeman. The absence of Manor Solomon is also a blow, with Oscar Gloukh and Omri Gandelman likely to provide support for lone striker Tai Baribo.
Expected Starting XIs
Italy (3-5-2): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori; Cambiaso, Fagioli, Ricci, Tonali, Dimarco; Raspadori, Retegui
Israel (4-2-3-1): Glazer; Feingold, Nachimas, Shlomo, Leidner; Abu Fani, Kanichowsky; Abada, Gloukh, Gandelman; Baribo
Match Prediction
Italy are expected to dominate possession and create plenty of chances against an Israel side that has looked out of their depth at this level. However, the visitors have managed to find the net in each game so far and could threaten on the counter-attack.
Ultimately, Italy’s superior quality should shine through as they look to take a big step towards qualifying for the Nations League quarter-finals. A 2-1 home win seems a likely outcome, with the Azzurri maintaining their unbeaten record while Israel show some fight despite suffering a fourth straight defeat.
Prediction: Italy 2-1 Israel
