Israel vs Republic of Ireland
Pre-match outlook: Both teams lost their opening fixtures—Israel lost 1-3 to Austria (their 4-match unbeaten run going into the game ended, and they also lost Abu Fani to a red-card suspension and Gandelman to injury), while Republic of Ireland lost 0-1 to Kosovo (their 4-match unbeaten run was snapped, and captain Collins and veteran Coleman were both out injured). This is a “stop-the-bleeding” match neither side can afford to lose, but neither has the firepower to overpower the other.
Key data: Israel have scored in 10 of their last 13 matches (their attack is clicking), and Solomon + Peretz + the new-look forward line have energy; Republic of Ireland's selling point is their defensive organization—2 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss in their last 6 matches, with 9 goals scored and only 4 conceded. But in attack they rely heavily on Parrott as their lone focal point, scoring only 0.7 goals per match in the Nations League. Their 0-1 away defeat to Kosovo in the opener already exposed their lack of cutting edge against a stubborn defense. Neither side will want to take risks, so a low-scoring game is the consensus.
Prediction: Home win