Israel will be looking to round off their World Cup 2022 qualification campaign on a positive note when they welcome Faroe Islands for their final Group F contest on Monday.
The home team are third in the section, seven points behind second-placed Scotland, while Faroe Islands are fifth, three points clear of sixth-placed Moldova with one game left.
Match preview
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Israel have only ever qualified for the finals of one World Cup, taking part in the 1970 edition of the tournament, and they will have to wait until at least 2026 to return to the leading competition in international football.
Indeed, a record of four wins, one draw and four defeats from nine matches has seen them collect 13 points to sit third in the table, seven points behind Scotland, who have already secured a playoff spot.
Willibald Ruttensteiner's side have actually scored 20 goals in the section - the second-most behind Denmark (30) - but they have been unable to keep them out down the other end, shipping 19, just one fewer than Faroe Islands.
The Blue and Whites recorded a 2-1 win over Moldova in their last home qualifier in October but will enter this match off the back of a 4-2 defeat to Austria on Friday, with both teams now on 13 points in the group.
Israel have won each of their last three matches against Faroe Islands, meanwhile, including a 4-0 success in the reverse match back in September, with Eran Zahavi scoring a treble.
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Faroe Islands, meanwhile, have never qualified for the finals of a World Cup and were always going to struggle to seriously compete in this section due to the quality of the teams around them.
The National Team have collected four points from their nine matches to sit fifth in the section, drawing with Moldova in the away fixture before overcoming the same opponents in the reverse clash on home soil.
Hakan Ericson's side have lost all three of their matches to Austria, Scotland and Denmark since a 2-1 success over Moldova on September 7, but there have been signs of encouragement.
Indeed, they got their name on the scoresheet against a talented Denmark on Friday to halve the deficit after falling two goals behind, only for Joakim Maehle to make sure of the points for the hosts late on.
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Team News
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Israel will be keen to finish above Austria in the section and therefore it would be a surprise to see wholesale changes for this match, with head coach Ruttensteiner seemingly planning to stick with the majority of the side that took to the field against Austria.
Zahavi is facing slight pressure from Shon Weissman when it comes to the centre-forward spot, but the former scored three times against Faroe Islands in the reverse fixture and should continue in the XI.
Munas Dabbur and Manor Solomon are also expected to feature in the final third of the field, while Celtic's Nir Bitton could again line up in defence for the home side.
As for Faroe Islands, Klaemint Olsen came off the bench to score late against Denmark on Friday, and the 31-year-old might have earned himself a starting role here.
It seems likely that Ericsson will shuffle his pack from the clash with Denmark, with Trondur Jensen and Heri Mohr also pushing to come into the starting side.
There is plenty of experience in the Faroe Islands midfield, and Hallur Hansson is again expected to captain the side from the right of a midfield four.
Israel possible starting lineup:
Marciano; Abu Abaid, Bitton, Elhamed; Dasa, Peretz, Natcho, Menachem; Dabbur, Zahavi, Solomon
Faroe Islands possible starting lineup:
Gestsson; Mohr, Faero, Askham, Nattestad, Davidsen; H Hansson, Jensen, Andreasen, S Vatnhamar; Olsen
We say: Israel 2-0 Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands have proved difficult to overcome in their last three matches, and we are not expecting this to be a high-scoring affair. That said, Israel's quality is superior all over the pitch, and the home side should have more than enough to end their Group F campaign with a win.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Israel win with a probability of 57.75%. A draw had a probability of 25.1% and a win for Faroe Islands had a probability of 17.13%.
The most likely scoreline for a Israel win was 1-0 with a probability of 15.69%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.4%) and 2-1 (9.04%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.44%), while for a Faroe Islands win it was 0-1 (7.24%). The actual scoreline of 3-2 was predicted with a 1.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Israel would win this match.
