Italy will host a massively important World Cup qualifier against Israel today in the city of Udine, after a 3-1 win against Estonia on Saturday. Their last win made it 3 wins in a row in this qualifying campaign. They will need to avoid defeat against Israel to clinch the play-offs amid increased pressure after they failed to qualify for the last two World Cups. With one more game played, Italy is in second place is level on nine points with Israel in third, behind on goal difference. Norway is top of the group and has secured top spot, qualifying for the world cup directly.
The atmosphere around the qualifier is intense due to increased concerns after recent large-scale pro-Palestinian protests across Italy. There have been repeated calls for the match to be cancelled, including from the Mayor of Udine. However, the match will go ahead as planned