Israel National Football Team Prepares for Crucial Ireland Match Amidst Goalkeeper and Injury Concerns

The Israel national football team faces a must-win situation against Ireland on Sunday to keep their hopes of advancing in the Nations League alive. Currently holding only one point from a possible nine, the team understands the necessity of securing a victory in their upcoming match, which will be played without spectators in Bačka Topola, Serbia.

Key decisions loom for coach Ran Ben Shimon regarding the goalkeeping position. While Omri Glazer is reportedly feeling better, the coaching staff must decide whether to stick with Assaf Tzur or reinstate Glazer, who was slated to start against Kosovo before feeling unwell. Meanwhile, player Anan Khalaily remains a significant concern due to a lack of full fitness. The team's medical staff is in contact with Crystal Palace, Khalaily's English club, to manage his condition and ensure he is not risked if not fully healthy. Should Khalaily be unavailable, Liel Abada would likely shift to right wing in a three-defender formation, with Roy Revivo returning to the starting lineup on the left.

In a gesture of respect, former captain Bibras Natkho has been invited to the team's training session in Novi Sad. The delegation has prepared national team jerseys for him and his sons, two of whom play for Partizan Belgrade. Natkho is also expected to address the players.

Despite the pressure, the team celebrated the holiday of Sukkot with dancing at their hotel. A touching moment occurred when Seyed Abu Farhi, who had a difficult experience after receiving a red card against Austria, was presented with an award for his national team debut, with his parents in attendance and warmly received by team officials.

Coach Ben Shimon expressed pride in the team's response after their previous loss to Ireland, highlighting the positive attitude and effort shown in their draw against Kosovo. He stated, "I am proud of the team and how we responded after what we went through. The starting players and substitutes did a good job and we all earned our national team back together." He added, "It is true that we could have won and we should have scored in the chances we created. But after the immense burden we carried, we managed to get the monkey off our back and played more freely. Now we need to beat Ireland and get back into contention for second place in the group."

Players echoed the sentiment, acknowledging the previous humbling defeat by Ireland and seeing the upcoming match as a chance for redemption. "Ireland humiliated us and caused a stain on each of us, and we now have an opportunity to correct the impression," players said. "We are all waiting for the opening whistle, it will be a completely different game."