The Szusza Ferenc Stadion in Budapest plays host to a clash between Israel and Iceland on 21 March 2024, with the former having yet to make an appearance at a European Championship. Alon Hazan is the man who is tasked with navigating the team past an Icelandic side who have been able to feature at some of the more recent tournaments.
Israel’s most recent clash saw them claim a 2-0 victory away to Andorra, with this match preceded by a home reverse against Romania although this clash was played in Hungary. It was a similar story when they held Switzerland to a 1-1 draw, with the team coming up against an Iceland side who could be beatable.
After all, the outsiders were far from convincing when participating in a qualifying section where they were able to record just three wins from ten encounters. Six defeats tells its own story and they are in the play-offs by virtue of the Nations League, with Portugal, Slovakia and Luxembourg finishing ahead of them in their group.
Israel will hope to get the best from their key players including defensive stalwart Eli Dasa who will lead the team into battle as captain. Experienced midfielder Dor Peretz will be joined in the side by Maccabi Tel Aviv team-mate Eran Zahavi and perhaps they can have the edge in this game despite not having home advantage.