Israel takes in Slovakia in a friendly on Tuesday (21:45) in Debrecen, Hungary which has become the blue-and-white’s home away from home since the start of the war with Hamas back on October 7, 2023. Head Coach Ran Ben Shimon’s squad comes into the game after defeating Estonia 3-1 in 2026 World Cup qualifying to move to 2-1 and into second place in Group I in the campaign to date.

The Slovakia contest will allow the bench boss a chance to see some of the younger, up-and-coming players as many of the veterans were released from the squad as per prior arrangements made with the Israel Football Association. Manor Solomon who will be getting married this week, Dor Peretz, Oscar Gloukh, Daniel Peretz who is about to sign with PSV Eindhoven along with Muhammed Abu Fani, Mahmoud Jaber and Anan Khalaili due to the Muslim holiday were released from the team as a number of players will have a chance to make their international debut.

Liel Abada, who is playing for Charlotte in the MLS will be starting as an attacker which his regular position and not as a defender as he has done in previous games with the team. Midfielder Yarin Levy who made his debut against Estonia is expected to be in the Starting XI, while Guy Mizrahi will also start in defense and Yarden Shua will start up front with Liel Abda. Omri Gandelman, Eliel Peretz and Stav Lemkin are all supposed to get a chance to start as well.

“It’s not easy to play football after such a long season,” Ben Shimon began. “This is a great opportunity for players who haven’t played and it’s a great opportunity for us too. We’re preparing well for the game. I highly appreciate the Slovakian coach, they play modern and progressive football. They had impressive results and games at the Euros, they are a very high-quality team. I always compliment my opponents, and I mean every word that I say.”

Israel will once again be playing in Hungary which of course is no ideal by any stretch of the imagination, “It is very difficult to play outside of Israel and not in front of the home crowd. But it is also complicated to play in June – this is a time when players want to go on vacation and be with their families. Players finished leagues a month or three weeks ago, it is complicated.”

Despite this being a friendly, Ben Shimon still believes that there will be pressure, “”There are no games without pressure, it is an international game between national teams. The goal is always to win, there are players who did not get enough opportunities and we want to see them perform. There’s an overarching goal, which is to always win every game. There are secondary goals, asking players who haven’t had the opportunity so far, to come and impress and prove that they deserve to start in the next games.”

Ben Shimon also complimented Captain Eli Dasa who was mired in a bit of controversy with the Estonians due to having played for a Russian team, Dynamo Moscow, “I didn’t understand what they wanted from him. It seems like every time you see amazing leadership from him, he manages to create more angles for leadership and does it in a humble and honest way. It’s easy to believe every word that comes out of his mouth. He is an amazing leader and there are other amazing leaders – Omri Glazer is one of the leaders, Daniel (Peretz), Manor (Solomon), Dor Peretz, very serious guys who deserve to achieve something big in this generation.”

Omri Glazer, who is slated to start in goal also spoke about the upcoming match, “There is something to play for and a lot of pride in every national team game. Every single player wants to be here. There is no such thing as a friendly match, we come to show what we can do and win. As for who is the number one keeper, there are goalkeepers here, both on the national team and those who play in Israel not just those who are playing abroad. The success of the team is above all and everyone supports one another.”