Israel’s 3-1 win over Malta on Thursday vaulted them to an early Group F lead, and while they are unlikely to keep that position in a group that includes Croatia, Israel has a good change to finish second. To do so, they will have to beat out a transitioning Greece squad and a Latvian team coming off a strong World Cup qualifying campaign.
| Pot | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | D | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| 1 | Croatia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 |
| 2 | Greece | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 |
| 4 | Latvia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 |
| 5 | Georgia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 |
| 6 | Malta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
Fixtures
September 2, 2010 - Israel 3, Malta 1
September 3, 2010 - Latvia vs. Croatia
September 3, 2010 - Greece vs. Georgia
September 7, 2010 - Georgia vs. Israel
September 7, 2010 - Malta vs. Latvia
September 7, 2010 - Croatia vs. Greece
October 8, 2010 - Georgia vs. Matla
October 8, 2010 - Greece vs. Latvia
October 8, 2010 - Israel vs. Croatia
October 12, 2010 - Latvia vs. Gerogia
October 12, 2010 - Greece vs. Israel
November 17, 2010 - Croatia vs. Malta
March 26, 2011 - Georgia vs. Croatia
March 26, 2011 - Israel vs. Latvia
March 26, 2011 - Malta vs. Greece
March 29, 2011 - Isreal vs. Georgia
June 4, 2011 - Greece vs. Malta
June 4, 2001 - Latvia vs. Israel
June 4, 2011 - Croatia vs. Georgia
September 2, 2011 - Georgia vs. Latvia
September 2, 2011 - Israel vs. Greece
September 2, 2011 - Malta vs. Croatia
September 6, 2011 - Malta vs. Georgia
September 6, 2011 - Latvia vs. Malta
September 6, 2011 - Croatia vs. Israel
October 7, 2011 - Greece vs. Croatia
October 7, 2011 - Latvia vs. Matla
October 11, 2011 - Georgia vs. Greece
October 11, 2011 - Malta vs. Israel
October 11, 2011 - Croatia vs. Latvia
FIFA Rank:14
Elo Rank: 7
Recent Performances: Third place in UEFA World Cup qualifying. Quarterfinalists at Euro 2008.
Coach: Slaven Bilic
Captain: Darijo Srna
Prominent players: Josip Simunic (Hoffenhim)Vedran Corluka (Tottenham hotspur), Danijel Pranjic (Bayern Munich), Ivan Rakitic (Schalke 04), Luka Modric (Tottenham Hotspur), Niko Kranjcar (Tottenham Hotspur), Eduardo (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ivica Olic (Bayern Munich)
Outlook: Shockingly, Croatia not only failed to qualify for the World Cup, they didn’t even make the UEFA playoffs. They remain a seeded team and the solid favorite to win this group, having no glaring weaknesses. With Eduardo back, Slaven Bilic could actually improve upon a 2008’s result.
Predicted Finish: 1st
FIFA Rank: 12
Elo Rank: 38
Recent Performances: Eliminated in group play at both the World Cup and Euro 2008.
Coach: Fernando Santos
Captain: Giorgios Karagounis
Prominent players: Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Milan), Giourkas Seitaridis (Panathinaikos), Vasilis Torosidis (Olympiacos), Loukas Vyntra (Panathinaikos), Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Theofanis Gekas (Eintracht Frankfurt), Georgios Samaras (Celtic)
Outlook: Does anybody really believe Greece is the 12th best team in the world. Oh, FIFA - you’re adorable like that. Greece’s ability to quality for a third straight Euros will be dictated by how new coach Fernando Santos incorporates the new young talent: Papastathopoulos, Sotiris Ninis, and Kostas Mitroglou.
Predicted Finish: 3rd
FIFA Rank: 38
Elo Rank: 35
Recent Performances: Fourth in their UEFA World Cup qualifying group. Failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
Coach: Luis Fernández
Captain: Yossi Benayoun
Prominent players: Dudu Aouate (Mallorca), Tal Ben Haim (West Ham United), Tamir Cohen (Bolton Wanderers), Biram Kayal (Celtic), Ben Sahar (Hapoel Tel Aviv)
Outlook: If Greece continues to descend, Israel is set to take second place and threaten to qualify for their first major tournament since 1970. The emergence of Sahar as a second viable goal scorer may be the key. Now playing back in Israel, Sahar has given indications that his career may be back on track.
Predicted Finish: 2nd
FIFA Rank: 49
Elo Rank: 70
Recent Performances: Third in UEFA World Cup qualifying group. Failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
Coach: Aleksandrs Starkovs
Captain: Vitalijs Astafjevs
Prominent players: Oskara Klava (Anzhi Makhackhala), Juris Laizans (Salyut Belgorod), Maris Verpakovskis (Ergotelis), Andrejs Rubins (Qarabag)
Outlook: A veteran team that gave Group 2 trouble during World Cup qualifying, Latvia may be relying on too many old warriors to take the next step forward.
Predicted Finish: 4th
FIFA Rank: 110
Elo Rank: 82
Recent Performances: Sixth in UEFA World Cup qualifying group. Failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
Coach: Temuri Ketsbaia
Captain: Kakha Kaladze
Prominent players: Ucha Lobjanidze (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Zurab Khizanishvili (Blackburn Rovers), Levan Kobiashvili (Hertha Berline), Levan Kenia (Schalke), Levan Mchedlidze (Empoli)
Outlook: Georgia is a bright soccer future, but this year may be too soon. They should take a bit out of one of the group’s four top teams, but their collection of young players (six 23 or under) look more like a threat for 2016.
Predicted Finish: 5th
FIFA Rank: 151
Elo Rank: 158
Recent Performances: Sixth in their UEFA qualifying group. Did not qualify for Euro 2008.
Coach: John Buttgieg
Captain: Gilbert Agius
Prominent players: Michael Mifsud has 25 career international goals.
Outlook: Malta got one point in World Cup qualifying: a 0-0 home draw with Albania.
Predicted Finish: 6th
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