Israel will be back in Nations League action against Italy on Monday night in Budapest as they will look to even their record up at 1-1 after having fallen to Belgium this past Friday night. The game will be a home one for the blue-and-white that will be taking place at the Bozsik Aréna in Budapest due to the ongoing war with Hamas.

Ahead of the clash, Israel’s head coach Ran Ben Shimon spoke at the pre-match press conference along with veteran midfielder Dor Peretz as they looked forward to the opportunity to kick off against Italy.

“Many articles have been written about motivation in sports,” Ben Shimon began. “But my preference is to talk about feelings and not motivation, as a feeling is something that is preserved and not perishable. I appreciate Italy coach Luciano Spalletti and is someone I really admire but I don’t like to give compliments to my opponent before a match.”

Italy has had a tough go over the past couple of years, but Ben Shimon understands that they are a very respectable side, “I will talk less about their past, but I will say one thing – I saw them against France and they were outstanding with very interesting tactical ideas. This is what I know about them.”

Even though Israel aren’t the favorites, the fact is that Ben Shimon may be under pressure should they lose their opening pair of games, however, the bench boss isn’t looking at that aspect of the job, “I walk around with a positive mindset. It is important to me that we sit after the game and see that there is progress in all parameters, that is what is important to me.”

Ben Shimon will try and put the defeat behind them as they take to the pitch to play Italy, “Training a team is my task, but there isn’t much time to make changes between games. We need to balance the team and emphasize the good things and what needs to be fixed. It should be very precise. For me, Belgium is already distant history and the match against Italy is another event.”

Israel is hosting Italy abroad due to the war with Hamas and won’t be able to pack a stadium with fans which will be a loss explained Ben Shimon, “The thing that I miss the most is the crowd, but the meaning of the word ‘difficult’ has changed in the last year and we are not really the most important thing. This is the situation and we will try to make the best out of it. To be honest, I miss the crowd and in games against the big teams it could have been special.”

While Ben Shimon was content with his squad’s play, he will make some wholesale changes in his lineup against Italy, “I really wasn’t disappointed by the game against Belgium, the players made a great effort. There will be changes for three reasons – we have an outstanding squad, we need to distribute minutes and the fact that we are currently charting the path for the team. I would like to see and incorporate as many players as possible.”

Dor Peretz also looked ahead to the next test for the blue-and-white, “Each and every game has the same importance for me – to show what I can do and what the team can do. We have a lot to show and learn and it is a privilege for me to play against such a team like Italy and I will do my best”

Peretz also spoke about the meaning of playing for Israel after the horrific events of October 7th, “ Wearing this shirt represents something much bigger than before. The country is going through challenging days to say the least and we the players should be a feeling of joy and hope for those who are sitting at home. Hopefully we’ll do our best against Italy.”