On Saturday, the Israeli national team recorded one of its most painful losses in recent years when it surrendered 2-1 in Plechute to Romania. However, because the Blue and Whites finished first in the Nations League, they will play in the play-offs in March, with their play-off opponent determined by the outcome of two direct European Championship qualifying battles between Ukraine and Italy and between the Czech Republic and Moldova.
The battle, of course, that intrigues all of Europe is the battle between the Ukrainians and the Italians. The Ukrainians know that a loss will send them to the playoffs while the Italians, if they lose, will also have to play in the playoffs and fight two more stressful battles, especially after the failures at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The Ukrainians can draw confidence from the fact that they are unbeaten in their last nine games at home, even though their home is not really home since the war with Russia began, but they have won only three games out of nine.
The Italians, on the other hand, have not lost to Ukraine in their last nine meetings against the Ukrainians, with their two defeats to England in this campaign being their only defeats in their last 47 Euro qualifying matches. The Euro 2020 champions are expected to be in Germany to defend their crown in one form or another, and reaching the tournament will be the Italian's eighth consecutive appearance in the tournament.
Group C showdown đź‘€
🇮🇹 Italy will qualify if they avoid defeat by Ukraine
🇺🇦 Ukraine will qualify if they beat Italy#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/3W5kICvpOF
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) November 20, 2023
Another game that could affect Israel is the direct battle between Moldova and the Czech Republic. The Czechs are far from the golden age they had in the late 90s and early 2000s but have improved in recent years and want to see themselves back in the tournament, while for Moldovans a win today would be considered a huge sensation.
And now for Israel, these are the scenarios that will affect the character of the opponent in the playoffs depending on the games today:
If Ukraine beats Italy and qualifies for the Euros, Israel will meet Iceland.
If Ukraine draws or loses to Italy and the Czech Republic does not lose to Moldova, Israel's opponent will be determined by lottery.
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If Ukraine draws or loses to Italy and Moldova beats the Czech Republic, Israel will meet Ukraine.
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