Rep. Of Ireland v Israel: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch

/ Match Previews Rep. Of Ireland v Israel: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch The Republic of Ireland face Israel in the Nations League on Sunday. Read our in-depth preview here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google UEFA Nations League, League B – 4 Rep. Of Ireland IRE 4/10/2026 19:45 Israel Venue Gradski Stadion Referee Juan Martinez Munuera Preview for Rep. Of Ireland v Israel The Republic of Ireland will look to strengthen their position in UEFA Nations League Group B3 when they face Israel at a neutral venue in Serbia on Sunday night.

Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side have collected four points from their opening three matches, while Israel sit bottom of the group with one point ahead of the second meeting between the countries in the space of eight days.

The Republic of Ireland head into Sunday’s game knowing another victory over Israel would keep them firmly in contention heading into the final two rounds of Nations League fixtures.

Ireland began their campaign with a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to Kosovo, producing only one shot on target in Pristina.

However, Hallgrimsson’s side responded impressively when they travelled to Debrecen to face Israel three days later.

The Boys in Green produced an excellent first-half performance, scoring three unanswered goals to take control of the contest before eventually securing a comfortable 3-0 win.

Ireland carried that momentum into Thursday’s meeting with group leaders Austria at the Aviva Stadium.

Israel have found life difficult since returning to League B following their relegation from the top tier.

Ran Ben Shimon’s team opened their campaign with a 3-1 defeat away against Austria before being comprehensively beaten by Ireland in Debrecen.

They finally picked up their first point on Thursday with a goalless draw against Kosovo, although they remain bottom of the group after three matches.

Sunday’s fixture is officially an Ireland home game but will take place behind closed doors at the TSC Arena in Backa Topola, Serbia.

Hallgrimsson could make changes to his Ireland starting XI after a demanding schedule of four matches in 11 days.

At least one alteration will be required, with James Abankwah suspended for Sunday’s fixture.

The Udinese defender is therefore unavailable, while goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu will not travel to Serbia with the squad.

Ireland were already without several established players for this international window, including former captain Seamus Coleman and current skipper Nathan Collins..

Israel have scored only once across their opening three Nations League matches, with Sayed Abu Farchi finding the net against Austria before subsequently being sent off for a second bookable offence.

Ben Shimon has several options available through the middle, including Tai Baribo and Dor Turgeman.

Israel will be without Daniel Peretz after the Southampton goalkeeper withdrew because of a groin injury.

Republic of Ireland: Kelleher; Egan, O’Shea, Scales; O’Brien, Coventry, Molumby, Manning; Moylan; Idah, Parrott.

Israel: Glazer; Stoinov, Nachmias, Shlomo; Khalaily, E. Peretz, D. Peretz, Revivo; Solomon, Gloukh; Turgeman.

ℹ️ Official lineups are not available yet. They are usually announced 20–40 minutes before kickoff, depending on the competition.

Republic of Ireland v Israel kicks off at 7:45pm BST on Sunday, October 4. The match will be available to watch live in the UK through Amazon Prime Video. In Ireland, the game will be broadcast on RTE2 and streamed through RTE Player, with RTE again operating reduced coverage without its usual studio presentation and punditry.

Ireland were comfortably the stronger team when these sides met in Hungary and should once again have enough attacking quality to cause Israel problems.

Hallgrimsson’s side have scored five goals across their last two matches, with Parrott in particularly impressive form, while Israel have struggled to create opportunities throughout the campaign.

The unusual circumstances surrounding a behind-closed-doors game at a neutral venue remove Ireland’s normal home advantage, but their recent performances suggest they should still be capable of collecting another important three points.

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