England Under-19s will be bidding to win the European Under-19 Championship for just the second time in their history when they take on Israel Under-19s in the final of the competition on Friday night.
Ian Foster's side came from behind to beat Italy Under-19s in Tuesday's semi-final, while Israel Under-19s shocked France Under-19s on the same night to secure their position in the showpiece event.
Match preview
Israel Under-19s had only competed in the finals of a European Under-19 Championship on one occasion before this summer, being eliminated in the group stage of the 2014 competition, so their position in this year's final is certainly a shock.
Ofir Haim's side picked up four points from their three Group B matches, drawing with Serbia Under-19s in their tournament opener on June 19 before recording a 4-2 victory over Austria Under-19s in their second match.
Israel Under-19s then suffered a 1-0 loss to England Under-19s 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 Under-19s were waiting.
The underdogs took a two-goal lead at DAC Arena courtesy of an own goal from Souleymane Isak Toure and El Yam Kancepolsky, and they held on to win 2-1 despite the French answering back in the 62nd minute through Alan Virginius.
Israel Under-19s have actually only lost one of their last seven matches in all competitions and have not had any trouble finding the back of the net in this summer's tournament, but they have already lost to a much-changed English outfit in the competition and will again be the underdogs for this match.
England Under-19s, meanwhile, had to come from behind against Italy Under-19s on Tuesday evening to secure their position in the final of the competition.
The Italians took a 12th-minute lead when Fabio Miretti converted from the penalty spot, but substitute Alex Scott levelled the scores from a corner in the 58th minute before Jarell Quansah headed the winner for England Under-19s eight minutes from time.
Foster's side, who were sent a good luck message by England boss Gareth Southgate ahead of their semi-final, last won this tournament five years ago, overcoming Portugal Under-19s 2-1 in the final.
England Under-19s finished top of Group B by winning all three of their matches, recording a 2-0 victory over Austria Under-19s before running out 4-0 winners against Serbia Under-19s ahead of their 1-0 success over Israel Under-19s on June 25.
Harvey Vale, Carney Chukwuemeka and Alfie Devine are among those to have impressed for their national side this summer, and Foster's team will be looking to finish the job on Friday night.
- D
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Israel Under-19s have reported no fresh injury concerns from their clash with France Under-19s, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field for the first whistle.
Oscar Gloukh has scored two goals at this summer's competition and will again feature as the number 10, with Ahmad Ebraheim set to lead the line once again.
Head coach Haim has plenty of options for change in the final third of the field, though, with Dor David Turgeman pushing for a start, while Ilay Tomer is battling to be involved down the right.
As for England Under-19s, head coach Foster will keep faith with the majority of the side that started the semi-final success over Italy Under-19s.
Devine, Scarlett and Chukwuemeka are again certain starters, 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 Under-19s, though, crucially levelling the scores in the 56th minute, and he could now earn a spot in the middle of the park.
Quansah scored the winner in the semi-final, and the 19-year-old, who plays his club football for Liverpool, will again feature at the back for Foster's side.
Israel Under-19s possible starting lineup:
Tzarfati; Faingold, Lemkin, Israelov, Revivo; Madmon, Kanzapolsky; Abed, Gloch, Lugasi; Ebraheim
England Under-19s possible starting lineup:
Cox; Quansah, Edwards, Doyle; Norton-Cuffy, Scott, Chukwuemeka, Vale; Devine, Scarlett, Ramsey
We say: Israel Under-19s 1-2 England Under-19s
Israel Under-19s cannot be underestimated, especially considering their performance against France Under-19s in the semi-finals of the competition, but England Under-19s are the favourites for a reason. We are expecting Friday's affair to be close but believe that Foster's side will have enough quality to emerge victorious.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a England Under-19s win with a probability of 38.55%. A win for Israel Under-19s had a probability of 38.53% and a draw had a probability of 22.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a England Under-19s win was 1-2 with a probability of 8.26%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (5.97%) and 0-2 (4.97%). The likeliest Israel Under-19s win was 2-1 (8.26%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (9.93%). The actual scoreline of 1-3 was predicted with a 4.6% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that England Under-19s would win this match.
