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France v Israel
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Kick Off: Thursday 14th October at 19:45
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Competition: UEFA Nations League
France host Israel on Thursday seeking to secure their place in the Nations League quarter-finals. Didier Deschamps’ side have won three straight in the competition but approach this encounter at Stade de France with their preparations overshadowed by the Kylian Mbappe affair, with the Real Madrid striker left out of the squad for reasons unknown.
Israel, meanwhile, are simply seeking to salvage some pride, having failed to pick up a point in a tournament that has seen them out of their depth.
⭐ France v Israel Best Bets
Chelsea attacker Nkunku is liable to have a prominent role in this France team, which is liable to be tasked with breaking down an Israel defence that will likely sit deep.
As such, he should see plenty of the ball and when pockets of space open up, he will be asked to try his luck. Not that he should be lacking in confidence to do so: he scored against Israel in October while his last start for Chelsea saw him destroy Noah, scoring two and creating another after having four shots on target.
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👕 France v Israel Predicted XI
🔍 France v Israel Key Players
🔵 Bradley Barcola
With Ousmane Dembele out injured, Barcola is set to have a significant role to play for France offensively, and that is likely to manifest itself in the PSG winger having plenty of efforts on goal.
He has had at least three shots in each of his last seven starts for club and country, while it’s also worth noting that he has had one shot hit the target in each of his last nine – including in the win over Israel last month when he came off the bench to score.
🔵 Eduardo Camavinga
It’s not unusual for Camavinga to find himself in foul trouble, even in a game his side are fancied to win comfortably. He committed two fouls against Israel last time out and was even booked. Indeed, since coming back from injury last month, he has committed at least two fouls in four of his six starts, including Real Madrid’s 4-0 win over Osasuna last Saturday.
Here, he goes up against Israel’s second-most prolific foul winner in Mohammad Abu Fani, who has won six at a rate of 2.22 per 90.
⚪ Mohamed Abu Fani
Israel managed just one shot against France in their previous meeting and are unlikely to pack much of an offensive punch, but if it is to come, look for midfielder Mohamed Abu Fani to bring it.
He is posting 1.46 shots per 90 in the Nations League, leads Israel jointly with Oscar Gloukh with four shots and is the visitors’ only player who has managed multiple shots on target in the competition to date.
📂 France v Israel Cheat Sheet
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💻 France v Israel Form and Tactics
France have always been marked by pragmatism under the long guidance of Didier Deschamps, but there is a sense now that they are facing their most difficult period under his leadership.
Les Bleus’ squad has always been underpinned by senior figures, yet with the retirement of Antoine Griezmann and the non-appearance of Mbappe, this current group is without an experienced figure who is both featuring at the top level and has a history of winning major competitions. Indeed, the vast majority of the squad are 26 or younger and, therefore, yet to peak.
How Deschamps will marry this into a winning formula is as yet unclear, though a variant of a 4-2-3-1 formation appears the likely solution for this clash. Randal Kolo Muani is liable to be used as a centre-forward supported by exciting young wingers Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise, or potentially Christopher Nkunku. Given Kolo Muani and Nkunku are not first-choice at club level, both should be full of legs.
Roma’s Manu Kone may be used significantly in midfield as Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended. Look for him to be active primarily in the Fouls Market.
France’s defence, meanwhile, is not yet the sum of its parts, with William Saliba struggling to recreate his stellar Arsenal form at international level. Ibrahima Konate is his likely partner, with Deschamps seeking to build an understanding between the pair.
Les Bleus will only offer significant attacking thrust from deep if Lucas Digne is preferred to Theo Hernandez at left-back, otherwise, they will be reliant on those further forward to threaten.
Israel, meanwhile, have lost all four matches to date in the Nations League, having been rather outplayed in each. They may have found the net in every game, but those goals account for 43% of their shots on target – a huge figure.
Primarily they play in a 3-4-3 formation and are happy to cede the ball to their opponents. Only against Italy have they had more than 36% of the ball, and even then they still only posted 45% possession.
Consequently, their shot count is low. With just 22 efforts, they sit fourth from bottom among all Nations League countries, just above San Marino, Liechtenstein and Andorra. Their main threat comes from midfield, where Mohammad Abu Fani and exciting youngster Oscar Gloukh provide the menace, while down the left Sagiv Yehezkel is also posting more than a shot per game.
Remarkably, given the defending they are having to do, they have the joint-lowest card count in the Nations League, having been shown just three yellows, while they have conceded just 38 fouls at a rate of 9.5 per game.
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🏁 France v Israel Ref Watch
- Referee: Tobias Stieler
- Took charge of France’s 2-0 win over Belgium in September, when he brandished four cards – two to each team.
- Has overseen 14 games this season, with 70 cards given out in these matches at a rate of 6.36 per game. Four red cards are included in this tally (0.29 per game).
- Five penalties were awarded in this run, including Club Brugge’s infamous spot-kick against Aston Villa.
- Averages 21.5 fouls per match across the Bundesliga, 2.Bundesliga, Champions League, Europa League and Nations League this season.
Football Predictions at Andy’s Bet Club
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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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