England U19 will be looking to win the European U19 Championship for just the second time in their history when they take on Israel U19 in the final of the competition on Friday.
Israel shocked France on Tuesday to secure their spot in the showpiece event, while England came from behind to beat Italy in the semi-final on the same night.
Ofir Haim’s side had only competed in the finals of a European U19 Championship on one occasion before this summer, being knocked out in the group stage of the 2014 competition, so their position in this year’s final is certainly a shock.
Israel picked up four points from their three Group B fixtures, drawing with Serbia U19 in their competition opener on June 19 before recording a 4-2 victory over Austria U19 in their second match.
They then suffered a 1-0 defeat against England in their final group fixture on June 25, but a total of four points was enough to send them into the semi-finals, where France were waiting.
Meanwhile, England had come from behind against Italy on Tuesday to claim their spot in the final of the competition.
Fabio Miretti converted a penalty kick for the Italians in the 12th minute, but substitute Alex Scott levelled the scores from a corner in the 58th minute before Jarell Quansah headed the winner for England eight minutes from time.
Ian Foster’s side finished top of Group B by winning all three of their matches, recording a 2-0 victory over Austria before running out 4-0 winners against Serbia ahead of their 1-0 victory over Israel on June 25.
Carney Chukwuemeka, Harvey Vale and Alfie Devine are among those players to have impressed for their national side this summer, and Foster’s team will be looking to finish the job on Friday.
Israel U19 vs England U19 head to head
The two teams have previously met on only one occasion in the UEFA U19 Championship, where England claimed a 1-0 away victory. They meet for the second time in a competitive match in the same competition.
Israel U19 0-1 England U19 25/06/22
Israel U19 latest home form
Israel have recently kept a patchy run of form at home, as they have won just two of their five most recent matches. They lost 1-0 to England U19 in their last home game in the UEFA U19 Championship. In their last five matches, they have scored 11 goals and conceded seven.
Israel U19 6-0 Moldova U19 13/11/21
Israel U19 1-4 Netherlands U19 16/11/21
Israel U19 0-0 Hungary U19 23/03/22
Israel U19 4-2 Austria U19 22/06/22
Israel U19 0-1 England U19 25/06/22
Israel U19 latest away form
Israel have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having been unbeaten in their seven most recent matches. They defeated France U19 2-1 in their last away game in the UEFA U19 Championship. In their last five matches, they have scored nine goals and conceded four.
Cyprus U19 0-1 Israel U19 10/11/21
Turkey U19 1-3 Israel U19 26/03/22
Scotland U19 0-1 Israel U19 29/03/22
Serbia U19 2-2 Israel U19 19/06/22
France U19 1-2 Israel U19 28/06/22
England U19 latest home form
England have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have won each of their five most recent matches. They defeated Italy U19 2-1 in their last home game in the UEFA U19 Championship. In their last five matches, they have scored 14 goals and conceded just one.
England U19 4-0 Armenia U19 26/03/22
England U19 2-0 Portugal U19 29/03/22
England U19 2-0 Austria U19 19/06/22
England U19 4-0 Serbia U19 22/06/22
England U19 2-1 Italy U19 28/06/22
England U19 latest away form
England have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having lost just one of their five most recent matches. They defeated Israel U19 1-0 in their last away game in the UEFA U19 Championship. In their last five matches, they have scored 11 goals and conceded five.
Mexico U20 1-3 England U19 09/10/21
Belgium U19 3-2 England U19 12/10/21
Sweden U19 0-2 England U19 16/11/21
Republic of Ireland U19 1-3 England U19 23/03/22
Israel U19 0-1 England U19 25/06/22
Israel U19 news
Israel have reported no fresh injury concerns from their game against France, so it would not be a surprise to see the same starting XI take to the field.
Ofir Haim has plenty of options for change in the final third of the field, with Dor David Turgeman pushing for a start.
England U19 news
Chukwuemeka, Devine and Scarlett are again set to start, while Aaron Ramsey will also feature in a wide position, with the team set to line up in a 3-4-3 formation.
Scott impressed off the bench against Italy U19, crucially levelling the scores in the 56th minute, and could now earn a spot in the midfield.
Prediction and Odds
Israel cannot be underestimated, especially considering their performance against France in the semi-finals of the competition, and they will feel confident of another positive result.
However, England are the favourites and we are expecting a close affair but we believe Foster’s side have enough quality to come away with all three points.
Odds: 1 2.30 X 2.05 2 2.15
Probable outcomes
Israel U19 0-1 England U19
Israel U19 0-2 England U19
Israel U19 1-2 England U19
Israel U19 2-3 England U19
Israel U19 1-1 England U19
