Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the UEFA Nations League match.
In today's clash with the Israel national team, Italy have the chance to secure their spot in the Nations League playoffs. To achieve this, they need a victory over their opponents and for France to defeat Belgium in the concurrent match. Clearly, the Italian side are focused on earning all three points, and the support of the Udine stadium will boost their confidence.
Italy
Following a disappointing performance at Euro 2024, the Italy squad reorganised for their autumn Nations League fixtures. They are emphasising possession, deploying a 3-5-1-1 formation that relies on a midfield trio to control the ball. Last Thursday, in their match against Belgium (2:2), everything was going well for the team until Lorenzo Pellegrini's sending off; by then, Andrea Cambiaso and Mateo Retegui had given them the lead. Even with ten men, the Italians looked impressive in attack, registering 1.76 xG over the 90 minutes.
Israel
Reaching the elite division of the Nations League was a significant achievement for Israel, but they now have slim hopes of staying in League A. Over three matches, Israel have conceded nine goals. Against France (1:4), they faced an xGA of 1.32, managing just 0.09 expected goals and one shot on target in response. Their three-defender setup has failed to bring the needed stability to their defence.
Italy vs Israel Prediction
On neutral ground in Budapest a month ago, Italy controlled the game against Israel (2:1). The underdogs have nearly exhausted their motivation for the remaining matches, while the Italians are set to increase their attacking power.
