Israel vs Liechtenstein: Preview and Prediction

Israel vs Liechtenstein
European Qualifiers – 2018 World Cup
Date: Sunday, 9th October 2016
Kick-off: 17:00 UK
Venue: Teddy Stadium (Jerusalem).

Israel finally put an end to their six match win-less with the narrow 2-1 win against Macedonia on Thursday evening. The Blue and Whites have struggled in recent years on the international stage which was reflected in their fourth placed finish during Euro 2016 qualifiers. The road is pretty long for their new head-coach Elisha Levy with a very young and inexperienced squad at his disposal. At the same time they have a real chance for another three points and build some confidence when they host another lowly ranked country in Lichtenstein on Sunday.

Liechtenstein suffered their second defeat of the competition, this time at home to Albania by a 2-0 margin. They were thrashed 8-0 by Spain on the opening day and will be satisfied to have avoided another embarrassment this time. The Blues-Red are ranked 182 in FIFA rankings and there is little to expect them in qualification tournaments. They managed only one win during the Euro qualifiers, which was against another lower ranked side Moldova.

Israel vs Liechtenstein: Head-to-Head Stats

The two previous meetings between these two sides was during the World Cup Qualifying campaign for 2002. Israel won both legs, 2-0 at home and 3-0 away at Liechtenstein.

This will be the first meeting between these two sides since June 2001, which is a long gap of over 15 years.

Israel vs Liechtenstein: Prediction

Israel have a stronger and better quality squad than Liechtenstein and they must be able to see this through with ease. Also they have done well against lower ranked sides while playing away from home. The team will be confident after ending their six-watch win-less run and five-match losing streak on Thursday against Moldova.

Liechtenstein, as their FIFA ranking suggests haven’t won a match since June 2015. They lost in 10 of their last 12, while two draws during the period came against Moldova and Gibraltar. Moreover, they have conceded a total of 22 goals in their last five games. So Israel could get an easy win here with a healthy margin.