Israel vs Zambia Prediction: A close contest ahead

On Thursday night, the HaMoshava Stadium in Petah Tikva will play host to Israel and Zambia in a friendly international match. On a positive note, both squads will be seeking to cap off their engagement in the 2022 tournament, as they will not be participating in this year's World Cup in Qatar.

In a match played in September at the National Stadium Ta' Qali, Israel was leading 2-0 before suffering a shocking 2-1 loss to Malta. Bibars Natcho's penalty gave Alon Hazan's team the lead just past the half-hour mark, but Alexander Satariano and Ferdinando Apap scored twice in the last minutes to swing the game in their favor. For the Blue and White, that was their first loss in five matches across all competitions since March, when Germany defeated them. They will be playing their first of two straight home games to close off the year against a Zambia team that hasn't played European opponents since 2013. Before Thursday's game, the home team had won seven consecutive matches in front of their fans. They will be greatly favored to extend that winning streak.

Zambia lost their second straight match to Mali by a score of 1-0 at the Stade du 26 Mars on September 23. El Bilal Toure scored in the sixth minute for the home team, Moses Sichone's side. That goal proved to be the game-winner in Bamako. The last time the Chipolopolo won an international match was in July when they defeated Namibia in overtime to claim the COSAFA Cup. The visitors on Thursday know they need a major uptick in their offensive production if they are to win this matchup. They have not scored in any of their last three games.

Though both squads will be without several key players, this match should still be a tightly contested battle. Although it will be close, Israel will come out on top in the end. Because of this, we anticipate that both teams will score at least one goal. Neither team's defense is projected to be particularly formidable.