Israel vs Iceland Predictions

• Israel have won four of their last six competitive home internationals.
• Iceland have lost seven of their last nine competitive away internationals.
• Moanes Dabour (or Dabbur) has scored eight goals in his last ten appearances for Israel.

Blue and Whites can make clean start to Nations League campaign

Israel can get kick-off their Nations League B Group 2 promotion bid off to a winning start when they take on an Iceland side in transition at Haifa’s Sammy Ofer Stadium on Thursday.

There has been change at the top for the hosts with former Under-21 coach Alon Hazan replacing Marco Balbul after his short-lived spell in charge earlier this year. The squad is full of emerging talents like Liel Abada and Manor Solomon, but Nir Bitton and Eran Zahavi will miss this round of internationals.

Even without Zahavi, who has scored almost a goal for every two internationals he has played, Israel look a potent force with Shonn Weissmann and Moanes Dabour having the pace and nous to score against better defences than Iceland possess.

Dabour has been doing the business for Israel

Strákarnir okkar have shipped 15 goals in their last five internationals, which includes a 5-1 hammering by South Korea. The retirement of most of the team that allowed the nation to dream at Euro 2016 has hit them particularly hard in defence and it seems highly unlikely they keep the Blue and Whites out in Haifa.

Israel’s match result price of just under evens looks like reasonable value for a side that have won four of their last six competitive internationals on home turf. They could hit multiple goals here if Iceland aren’t quite at it, although the hosts are inexperienced at the back and can be prone to errors, so we won’t complicate matters with a handicap recommendation.

Dabour, who has hit eight in his last ten national team appearances, is the most likely scorer for Israel and we will take him to be the one on target in a 1-0 success.