The Israel National Team will welcome Italy for a World Cup qualifying matchup in Debrecen on Monday (21:45) as the Nagyerdei Stadion will serve as the blue-and-white’s home stadium due to the security situation back in the Holy Land.

Ran Ben Shimon’s squad will look to keep up their positive momentum after having easily disposed of Moldova 4-0 in Chisinau on Friday evening. Ahead of the game, the bench boss along with Manor Solomon spoke about the challenge ahead along with other queries from teh gathered press which included a political question by a journalist from the Italian newspaper ‘La Stampa’ regarding the ongoing debate in Italy about whether to play against Israel in light of the war in Gaza,

“First of all, the way you asked the question shows your side. I believe I’m a football coach who came to play a football match against the Italian national team. I’ve been in football since the age of four and it took me many years to get to where I am. I want to tell you one thing: I am certain that we have a wonderful, super moral and humane country and I trust our people and our soldiers. I want to give them moments of joy and love and that’s all I have to say to you.”

Israel played Italy last year in the Nations League and in Ben Shimon’s eyes the team has improved but the current situation in the country is one that has been challenging for everyone including the footballers.

“I’d like to believe we are making good progress. We are in a very complex and difficult situation in Israel and we’ll try to make the best of it under these circumstances. We have amazing guys in the Israel National Team who want to learn and improve. No matter what happens down the road, there will be difficulties and obstacles, but I have no doubt that we’ll give a real fight against the Italian national team.”

Ben Shimon is optimistic as he always is and hopes that his team can come up with a positive result that will keep Israel in the thick of qualification, “My energy source is the guys. We see the process they’re undergoing, how much they want it. We see and understand that even if there are hardships and setbacks along the way, we keep moving forward. We have long-term goals, but also very short-term ones.

“I’ve understood throughout my life that being on the positive side helps me much more than being on the cynical side. I’m always trying to bring that energy into the team. There’s a strong partnership and we want to translate that into results. Inside our camp, we’re very committed to a good path, continued learning, a solid process but we also want to deliver a good result.”

Heading into World Cup qualifying, on paper it was clear that Norway and Italy were the top two teams in the group. However, Ben Shimon wants to see his team meet the challenge head on and ensure that they are as ready as can be when the opening whistle blows.

“All of my life I’ve seen a strong connection between preparation and results, and we do that every game. A national team is a mission-driven training program. We do what we believe is best for that specific game. There’s no chance I’ll add more pressure on the players’ shoulders, because I believe the biggest pressure we’re facing is the desire to bring moments of pride to our nation, after everything we’ve been through. We talk during meals about our situation and in team meetings because we’re part of Israeli society and it’s very important to us to stay connected to it. I believe we’re doing that well so far.”

“But at this stage we can’t look at the standings. It’s a match against a direct rival. Italy is currently ranked in the stronger tier. We want to get results at this level and if we put that pressure on ourselves, we have to handle it because at this level, you have to cope with pressure and I trust my players.”

As for preparing for a team like Italy, Ben Shimon knows that his side needs to make sure that they put in the best efforts in truly understanding their opponent and find a way to take advantage of their strengths.

“When you come into a match like this, you analyze what are the best tools you have to deal with the opponent. Against Italy, it’s clear you need more height and more aggressiveness. We’ll try to highlight our strengths. That’s the essence of football; covering up the weaknesses and emphasizing the strengths. Every team has its own arsenal. We’re trying not to focus only on Italy’s strengths but on what we can bring to the game, how we can be dominant, how we can press. We also have a game plan.”

Manor Solomon also spoke about facing a team like Italy, “Of course, Italy will be the favorite, but we have a strong national team. We’ll prepare in the best way possible so we can match them, give them a serious challenge and a real fight.”

The blue-and-white know how critical the game is should they have any design of qualifying for the World Cup, “We’re aware that if we want to finish where we want to finish, this game is a great opportunity. It’s a very difficult mission, but we believe in our ability. We’ve proven that we’re a strong team. Even in the previous match against Italy, we made it difficult for them and managed to match them for parts of the game. If we can do that for 90 minutes, we have a chance to win.”

As for what can give Israel the confidence and optimism to win a big match, Solomon said “What gives us confidence is our recent matches and also the fact that we played Italy recently here in Debrecen and had a very good game. Even though we lost, we matched them for stretches. I think since then, we’ve improved and we’re a stronger team now. There’s something special in this squad, a new generation with talented players. We have a very strong and quality national team and I hope we show that on Monday.”