France face Israel on Thursday looking to finish top of their Nations League group ahead of Italy.
The Azzurri still lead the way in League A Group 2 ahead of the clash at Stade de France with Didier Deschamps’ men having won 4-1 last month in Budapest.
Les Bleus are currently second in the world rankings with just one point less than the Italians with the French traveling to Milan this weekend.
Avoiding defeat means a UNL quarterfinal if Belgium fail to beat Italy. A Belgium win and a French loss still raises the specter of a relegation playoff.
The hosts have not lost in their last seven meetings with the Israelis but they have only won two of their four home games with the most recent a goalless draw back in 2004 for a World Cup qualifier.
Owing to the violent scenes in Amsterdam last week around Ajax’s clash with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the game is considered a high security risk which means that a lower crowd than usual is expected.
Israel are ranked 81st in the standings with Ran Ben Shimon’s side mainly playing away from their homeland with a 3-2 World Cup qualifying win in October of 1993 a fond memory for the Israelis.
