Israel and Romania face off at the Pancho Arena in Hungary for their penultimate Group I fixture in Euro 2024 qualifying on Saturday.
While the Sky Blue and Whites are preparing for their third of four qualifiers in the space of 10 days this month, the Tricolours are gearing up for their first fixture since beating Andorra 4-0 last month.
Three days after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Kosovo, Israel were on course to lose by the same scoreline after Ruben Vargas had given Switzerland a first-half lead. However, Granada striker Shon Weissman came off the substitutes' bench to net an 88th-minute equaliser, forcing both nations to share the spoils.
A total of 12 points have been accumulated by Israel across their eight Euro 2024 qualifiers – one more than they managed in 10 qualification matches for Euro 2020 – and they currently sit third in Group I, four points behind Switzerland and Saturday's opponents Romania in the top two.
The Sky Blue and Whites know that they cannot secure a top-two finish in Group I if they fail to beat Romania, but they are guaranteed at least a playoff spot regardless of Saturday's result thanks to their efforts in the UEFA Nations League – sitting top of League B Group 2.
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