First meets second in Tuesday's World Cup 2026 Qualifying Group I showdown, as Israel and Norway seek to maintain their 100% starts at the former's adopted home in Debrecen, Hungary.
The top two sides collide at the Nagyerdei Stadion, where the 'hosts' saw off Estonia 2-1 on Saturday, while their Scandinavian counterparts hit Moldova for five without reply.
Match preview
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Starting 2025 as they ended 2024, Norway concluded the last calendar year with a 5-0 thumping of Kazakhstan in their closing UEFA Nations League battle, and Stale Solbakken's men subjected Moldova to an identical mauling in Chisinau over the weekend.
There was of course the customary goal for Erling Haaland - his 39th in just 40 appearances for his nation - but the strikes were shared around the Norway team, as Julian Ryerson, Alexander Sorloth, Aron Donnum and Thelo Aasgaard also made the net bulge.
The embryonic rankings therefore make for highly pleasant reading for fans of the world's 43rd-ranked nation, who currently occupy top spot in Group I, although there are currently only four spots filled in the five-team section.
Italy will soon enter the fray after losing their UEFA Nations League quarter-final against Germany, but Norway will undoubtedly still be favourites to clinch second place, which will earn them another shot at qualification via the playoffs.
The Nordic nation have not appeared at a World Cup Finals since 1998 and last made a major tournament at Euro 2000, but with Haaland and Martin Odegaard spearheading the charge, Solbakken's men - who also won promotion to League A of the Nations League for 2026-27 - will surely end that exile soon enough.
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One would not typically expect there to be a North London feel to Israel vs. Estonia, but a former Tottenham Hotspur man and current Arsenal shot-stopper both had their moments in the spotlight in Saturday's showdown, albeit for different reasons.
Indeed, one-time Spurs defender Maksim Paskotsi struck the opener for Estonia before their number one - Gunners goalkeeper Karl Hein - levelled matters with an own goal, which preceded the telling contribution from Eli Dasa 15 minutes from time.
As a result, Ran Ben Shimon's side currently reside in the playoff spot in Group I, and they should not be fazed by the prospect of facing either Germany or Italy in the coming months, having beaten Belgium and held France to a goalless draw in November's Nations League matches.
However, while conflict continues to rage between Israel and Hamas, the world's 76th-ranked nation - whose last appearance at a World Cup Finals came all the way back in 1970 - will be playing all of their 'home' matches at neutral venues for the foreseeable future.
The Chosen Team have already clashed with Norway twice in their home country, prevailing 2-1 in their inaugural battle in a 1972 friendly, but the most recent encounter - another exhibition encounter in 1999 - saw the Scandinavians come up trumps by a goal to nil.
Team News
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Norway's five-star performance against Moldova was not entirely perfect for head coach Solbakken, as centre-back Leo Ostigard suffered an injury in the first half and had to be withdrawn prematurely.
The severity of the defender's concern is not known at this stage, but Torbjorn Heggem is on standby to partner Brentford's Kristoffer Ajer if Ostigard does not make the cut.
As Haaland continues to streak clear at the top of Norway's men's scoring charts, Sorloth is just one strike away from matching Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Tore Andre Flo's tallies of 23 for the national team.
Meanwhile, Israel came out of their victory over Estonia with no new concerns to report, although veteran defender Miguel Vitor and midfield duo Dia Saba and Dolev Haziza all withdrew before the opening game.
After finally scoring his first goal for his country at the 66th time of asking, 32-year-old Dasa wears the captain's armband from right-back again; Leeds United's on-loan Tottenham Hotspur winger Manor Solomon set up the skipper's strike.
Also pulling the strings in attack will be Oscar Gloukh, the 20-year-old Red Bull Salzburg playmaker who has apparently attracted glances from the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal.
Israel possible starting lineup:
Peretz; Dasa, Nachmias, Shlomo, Revivo; Jaber, Abu Fani; Biton, Gloukh, Solomon; David
Norway possible starting lineup:
Nyland; Ryerson, Heggem, Ajer, Donnum; Odegaard, Berge, Aasgaard; Sorloth, Haaland, Schjelderup
We say: Israel 1-3 Norway
Israel's World Cup Qualifying games often turn out to be entertaining spectacles for the neutrals; they have both scored and conceded in their last five such games, and each of their last nine has seen at least three goals.
Expect that theme to continue in Debrecen, where the 'hosts' can trouble the Norwegian defence, but Solbakken's fearsome attack will surely prove too potent as the Scandinavians make it two for two.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
