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After both losing in the opening round of games on Thursday, Israel and Ireland will square off in the UEFA Nations League in Hungary on Sunday.
Israel suffered relegation into League B in the last campaign, while Ireland avoided a drop to League C in a playoff, with both nations now in search of their first points.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Israel vs. Ireland key stats
- Israel earned just four points from six matches in the 2024-25 Nations League in Group A2.
- This will be the first H2H since 2005, with both previous meetings ending in draws.
- Ireland have won five of their last nine matches, with one of their only two defeats coming in a penalty shootout.
- Ireland have only conceded two goals in their last five games.
Israel vs. Ireland preview: Ireland to pick up first three points in Group B3
Israel vs Ireland — Tale of the Tape
| Israel | vs | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| 4th | Position | 3rd |
| 0 | Points | 0 |
| 1 | Goals For | 0 |
| 3 | Goals Against | 1 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 0 |
| 3rd (H) | Home / Away Rank | 3rd (A) |
Israel will play their second game of the 2026-27 Nations League campaign on Sunday, again unable to play on home soil due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
They are seeking to reverse their fortunes in the competition, having suffered relegation in group A2 last time around, facing a tough group alongside France, Italy and Belgium and finishing bottom as they managed one win and one draw alongside four defeats.
Competitive action then followed in World Cup qualifying, as they finished third in their group and failed to progress to a playoff, missing out on this summer's tournament as a result, before opening in the Nations League with a trip to Austria on the back of a friendly win over Albania in the summer.
The Skyblue and Whites came away empty-handed, falling to a 3-1 defeat, as Sayed Abu Farkhi equalised and was sent off for his celebration before Phillipp Mwene and Sasa Kalajdzic won the game for the hosts with injury-time goals.
Having called up a full-strength squad for their opening Nations League fixtures, other than the absent Neta Lavi, headlined by the likes of Manor Solomon and Dor Peretz, and with Liel Abada or Dor Turgeman likely to come in for the suspended Farkhi, Israel will hope to get their first points on the board at the second time of asking at the weekend.
In their way stand an Ireland team also vying to get up and running after an opening defeat.
They were able to maintain their League B status for 2026-27 in a relegation playoff after finishing third in group B2 in 2024-25, beaing Bulgaria 4-2 over two legs, but the Boys in Green were not so successful in their World Cup qualifying playoff, losing to Czech Republic in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw to also miss out on a spot in USA, Mexico and Canada.
After a positive run of friendlies before the summer's tournament produced two wins and two draws, they kicked off away at Kosovo on Wednesday and failed to put their first points on the board, losing 1-0 as Vedat Muriqi broke the deadlock seven minutes from time.
They are missing several key figures for the September and October international games, with veteran full-back Seamus Coleman not involved, centre-back Nathan Collins having recently picked up an injury and midfielder Josh Cullen remaining sidelined with a long-term issue, while Troy Parrott remains their star at the top end of the pitch having six goals in his last seven caps and 11 in his 38 overall.
Ireland now head to Hungary hoping to put that opening loss behind them and bounce back before welcoming Austria to the Aviva Stadium and playing their reverse fixture against Israel in early October.
Israel vs. Ireland form guide & betting tips
| Israel | vs | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
DWDWL |
Form | DWWDL |
| 8 | Goals For | 7 |
| 6 | Goals Against | 2 |
L |
Nations League | L |
Whispers predicts: Israel 1-2 Ireland
While Sunday's game is not a typical away match for Ireland, they do head out for a second consecutive match away from Irish soil. Both teams have scored in six of their last 10 away matches, while Israel have only been shut out in three of their last 13 games. We back Both Teams to Score at 8/11 (1.73).
Seven of Israel's last nine games have seen three or more goals, and Ireland will look to attack in their search for a first win of the Nations League campaign. Over 2.5 goals is priced at 19/20 (1.95).
In the absence of the suspended Sayed Abu Farkhi, Dor Peretz will take on more attacking responsibility for Israel. He came into the international break in fine form, having scored nine goals in his last six matches for Maccabi Tel Aviv and will hope to add to his tally of nine international goals on Sunday. Peretz is priced at 4/1 (5.00) to score anytime.
> Both Teams to Score at 8/11 (1.73) | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 2.5 goals at 19/20 (1.95) | Likelihood: Probable
> Dor Peretz to score anytime at 4/1 (5.00) | Likelihood: Possible