Match Preview - 19:45 Kick-Off at El Molinón, Gijón

Israel have been the surprise package of World Cup Qualifying Group G so far, picking up 3 wins from their 4 games played. But while their points total is impressive, it’s important to note that 2 of those wins were secured in unimpressive displays against Macedonia and Liechtenstein. Spain have looked a little more like the Spain of old after their poor showing in the European Championships last year, but while their new generation of players sparkles at times, they are still a far cry from the golden generation of a few years ago.

Friday’s game in Gijon should offer little in the way of upset with Spain expected to keep their 4th clean sheet out of 5 fixtures.

Spain’s FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group G Results so far:

Sept 5th 2016 - Spain 8:0 Liechtenstein

Oct 6th 2016 - Italy 1:1 Spain

Oct 9th 2016 - Albania 0:2 Spain

Nov 12th 2016 - Spain 4:0 Macedonia

Israel’s FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group G Results so far:

Sept 5th 2016 - Israel 1:3 Italy

Oct 6th 2016 - Macedonia 1:2 Israel

Oct 9th 2016 - Israel 2:1 Liechtenstein

Nov 12th 2016 - Albania 0:3 Israel

Odds

Spain 1/8

Israel 25/1

Draw 9/1

Predictions

It won’t be any surprise to hear that I think Spain are nailed on to win against Israel in Friday’s World Cup Qualifier. The gap in quality between the two sides is much more than the one point difference in the Group G table suggests. It will be a relatively easy night for Spain in Gijón.

Betting Tips

Once again with such a one-sided contest in store, it’s quite tricky to identify bets of value. Sevilla forward Vitolo has scored in 3 of Spain’s 4 qualifying games so far and William Hill offer odds of 21/20 on him to score again. That looks a great bet. Spain and under 3.5 goals at odds of 11/10 looks worth a flutter over at Bet365 too.

Vitolo to score anytime - 21/20 - William Hill

Spain & under 3.5 goals - 11/10 - Bet365