Belgium v Israel background
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Article summary
Already qualified, Belgium are unbeaten in 13 competitive home matches – a run spanning over five years – and will seek to the win that will secure first place in Group B.
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Belgium will look to maintain a five-year unbeaten home run in competitive games when they welcome Israel in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group B.
• Belgium, two points ahead of second-placed Wales, booked their place in France with a 4-1 triumph in Andorra on 10 October. With Wales having the head-to-head advantage, Belgium need to beat Israel to ensure they top the section.
• Israel slipped to fourth behind Bosnia and Herzegovina after losing at home to Cyprus on 10 October and must now win and hope the Bosnians drop points in Cyprus in order to claim a play-off place.
Previous meetings
• Marouane Fellaini's early goal proved decisive as Belgium beat Israel 1-0 in Jerusalem in March, though they had to play the final 26 minutes with ten men following the dismissal of Vincent Kompany.
• The nations have met six times, with Belgium's record in those games W5 D0 L1 (W1 D0 L0 in Belgium).
• The teams' only previous competitive encounter in Belgium came in 1966 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Armand Jurion's penalty (24) gave Constant Vanden Stock's Belgium a 1-0 win against Milovan Ćirić's Israel in Brussels on 9 May 1965.
Form guide
• Belgium are unbeaten in 13 home qualifiers (W8 D5), a run spanning over five years, since a 1-0 loss to Germany in September 2010.
• Israel have lost only once away in this qualifying campaign (W2 D1 L1), 3-1 in Bosnia and Herzegovina in June.
Disciplinary
• The latest booking list is available here: http://www.uefa.org/disciplinary/disciplinary-cases/booking-lists/index.html.
Trivia and links
• Israel goalkeeper Ofir Marciano (R. Mouscron-Péruwelz) plays in Belgium.
• Israel have had the edge in terms of their seven UEFA age-group competition meetings, with four wins to Belgium's three. The Under-16 side that beat Belgium 2-0 in a 1987 qualifier in Ciney remain the only Israeli team – club or national – to have defeated a Belgium selection on Belgian soil in a UEFA men's game. Israeli teams' record in Belgium reads W1 D2 L9.
• In the 14 UEFA club competition meetings between sides from these nations, Belgian clubs' record is W9 D2 L3. Most recently, R. Charleroi SC beat Beitar Jerusalem FC home and away in this season's UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.
