Israel Under-21s Face Slovenia in Crucial Euro 2027 Qualifier

Israel's under-21 national football team will play away against Slovenia tonight as part of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2027 qualifiers. Next week, the team will conclude its campaign with an away match against group leaders Norway.

After six matches in the campaign, Israel is ranked third in the group with seven points, a record identical to second-placed Bosnia. Norway currently leads the group with 13 points, with two games remaining in the campaign.

Coach Guy Luzon, who will step down from the youth national team at the end of the current campaign, said ahead of tonight's match: "We hoped to reach a situation where in the final window of the campaign we depend on ourselves, and that is the situation. We now have a match against Slovenia, where a win will put us one game away from qualifying for the European Championship playoffs. To do this, we will need to be focused, determined, aggressive, and very calm when the ball is with us."

Regarding the squad, the coach added: "There is a great core here that has been running with us since the beginning of the campaign, except for Said Abu Farhi and Nikita Stoyanov who were promoted to the senior team. There are also new call-ups who have adapted and integrated with the existing squad. Ultimately, I am very satisfied with the physical preparation, the mental preparation, and the team cohesion."

On the Slovenian opponent, Luzon said: "This is a physical team that plays a lot on long balls and on the movements of attacking players into the depth, and we will need to prepare defensively. Offensively, we will need to bring our advantages."