Pivotal pair of qualifiers for blue-and-white for European Championship

The senior Israel National Team returns to the pitch against Belarus on Friday night for the first of two 2024 European Championship qualifiers as it looks to punch its ticket to the tournament that will be held in Germany.

The blue-and-white will take on Belarus in Hungary due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and will then play Andorra in Jerusalem on Monday night as it aims to record its first win of the qualifying competition.

Head coach Alon Hazan’s squad last played Group I action in March, when it drew 1-1 with Kosovo at home and then fell at Switzerland 3-0, and the Israelis will try to take six points with a pair of victories to get back into the qualification picture. Should Israel not qualify directly for the Euros, it will have a last chance to do so in the Nations League playoffs.

However, that is not the most ideal situation for the team as it prepares for two games that in its eyes are winnable if they are approached with the right mentality and attitude.

“The league finished a couple of weeks ago and we have to make sure that the players come into these two games at the highest level,” Hazan began. “We are looking at the entire campaign and not just these two games, but we definitely want to take the points. We want three points against Belarus and then another three points after that when we play Andorra. Our goal is to advance to the European Championships.”

National team missing Eran Zahavi and Omer Atzili

There is still some talk about a number of players who are not with the team, including star striker Eran Zahavi and Omer Atzili, but the bench boss wants to focus on the players who are present and accounted for.

“I am dealing with the players who are here and not those who aren’t. We are trying to figure out how to deal with those who aren’t here, and find a solution to the various situations. We have a very good relationship with Under-21 coach Guy Luzon in order to do the best we can for the squad. Right now we are focusing on the senior national team games and we will do as best as we can to succeed in the upcoming goals we have in front of us.”

“We are coming into these two games knowing that we need to win both,” Dolev Haziza affirmed. “We will prepare as best as we can and I don’t believe in the idea of favorites. It’s always dangerous to play against smaller teams because they have nothing to lose and can come in and do what they need to. We have to focus on ourselves and win these two contests in order to keep the dream alive and keep on battling.”