Israel v Kosovo Betting Tips [25 March 2023]

Israel and Kosovo will meet at the Bloomfield Stadium to get their Group I journey in the Euro 2024 qualifiers underway on Saturday evening. Group I looks anything but straightforward, with these two sides joined by Switzerland, Romania, and Belarus, all battling it out for the top two spots. The hosts failed to qualify for the World Cup, which means that their last competitive match came last September when they were involved in League B Group 2 of the UEFA Nations League, where they gave an excellent account of themselves, topping their group with eight points in their four matches. Israel was unbeaten in that competition in a group that included Iceland, Albania, and Russia, though the latter was excluded from the tournament. Since then, though, Israel has played three friendlies against Malta, Zambia, and Cyprus, where they only managed one win and two losses. Ranked 76th in the world, Israel will fancy their chances in this match against a significantly lower-raked opponent.

Placed 107th on Fifa’s rankings, Kosovo may not seem like much of a threat to most onlookers. However, they have significantly improved in the last year and proved that in their most recent UEFA Nations League showing. After a poor start to the tournament, Kosovo finished in second place in League C Group 2, qualifying in a group that included Greece, Cyprus, and Northern Ireland. Since the Nations League, Kosovo has played two friendlies, drawing both against Armenia and the Faroe Islands. With those two draws, Kosovo is now unbeaten in their last three matches in all competitions and may prove to be the dark horse in this group, which Switzerland and Israel are tipped to dominate.

Israel is the second favourite to qualify from this group, and with over 25 places separating them and this opponent in rank, the hosts come into this match as the overwhelming favourites. However, the visitors have improved notably in recent times and could prove to be the sleeper side in these qualifiers. This one really could go either way, but we expect both sides to register goals. Our Israel v Kosovo prediction is for both teams to score.