The first semi-final of the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship sees England take on Israel at Adjarabet Arena in Batumi, Georgia.
England booked their place in the last four with a 1-0 victory over Portugal, while Israel defeated Georgia on penalties to punch their ticket to the semi-finals.
Trafford 🚫#U21EURO | @England pic.twitter.com/M7HALTjWfm— #U21EURO (@UEFAUnder21) July 2, 2023
Trafford 🚫#U21EURO | @England pic.twitter.com/M7HALTjWfm
With the other semi-final between Spain and Ukraine taking place on Wednesday evening, the winner of England and Israel’s clash will know their opponent for Saturday’s final.
Let’s not forget that England and Israel faced each other during the group stage, with the Young Lions winning 2-0 less than a fortnight ago.
In fact, England won all three of their group games 2-0, defeating Czechia and Germany as well as Israel, meaning they finished five points clear atop Group C.
It is also worth noting that England have kept four successive clean sheets at this year’s European Under-21 Championship, scoring seven goals in reply.
Having lost just five of their previous 52 matches across all competitions, the Young Lions will be confident of reaching the final.
As for Israel, they finished second in Group C after recording one win, one draw and one loss, scoring two goals while conceding on three occasions.
Following a 1-1 draw with Germany, Israel suffered a 2-0 defeat against England before defeating Czechia 1-0 to reach the knockout phase.
Despite seeing only 38% of the ball in the quarter-finals, Israel racked up 17 shots in a goalless draw with Georgia before winning 4-3 on penalties.
It is worth noting, however, that Israel have managed to win just one of their previous six matches across all competitions.
Head-to-head: England and Israel have faced each other twice at Under-21 level over the years, with both sides picking up one win.
Israel defeated England 1-0 back in 2013, while the Young Lions claimed a 2-0 victory over Israel during the group stage of this year’s tournament.
Team news: Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon has bagged two goals and one assist so far, while Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White has contributed three assists.
On the flip side, Istanbul Basaksehir’s Eden Kartsev, FC Zurich’s Arad Bar and Red Bull Salzburg’s Oscar Gloukh are the only members of the squad who play their club football outside of Israel.
Given that England have scored seven goals and kept four clean sheets so far, the Young Lions are expected to get the better of Israel.
Forebet predicts that England will score over 1.5 goals and keep another clean sheet on their way to dispatching Israel, punching their ticket to the final in the process.