Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers match.
Estonia and Israel have already met once at the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, with Israel narrowly winning (2:1). With Italy now part of the group, both teams face only a slim chance of finishing in the top two. There’s a general expectation of an Israel win in the upcoming fixture, due to their clear advantage in squad quality.
Estonia
Their previous meeting, played on neutral ground in Debrecen, saw Estonia take the lead early on but falter late in the game. Eli Dasa scored for Israel, while Markus Soomets left the squad in a difficult position after receiving a red card. Against the group’s lowest-ranked side, Moldova, the Baltic team laboured to a 3:2 win, despite enjoying a numerical advantage from the 5th to the 48th minute. They recorded just 1.55 xG across the match. The team will likely once again lean on goalkeeper Karl Hein, who had a solid season with Real Valladolid and is currently part of the Arsenal setup.
Israel
Israel finished their UEFA Nations League group stage on a high, collecting four points from fixtures against France (0:0) and Belgium (1:0). Those results appear to have bolstered confidence within the squad, particularly under a more structured, defensive approach. In the reverse fixture against Estonia, they limited the opposition to only 0.34 xGA and three shots on target. A similar level of discipline and concentration is anticipated in Friday’s game.
Estonia vs Israel Prediction
With the parallel clash between Norway and Italy attracting greater attention, this fixture may fly under the radar. We expect both sides to limit each other's opportunities, and we’re backing a low-scoring affair.
