ENGLAND - Israel’s national soccer team kicked off its preparations (see video!) Tuesday for the crucial World Cup qualifiers match against the Irish squad scheduled to take place in Dublin Saturday at 9:30 p.m. (2:30 EDT).
Players and coaches, who arrived in Colchester, England Monday seemed very impressed with the practice complex where they would be making their final tactical adjustments ahead of the Group 4 game.
Following a 20-minute conditioning session, head coach Avram Grant tried out a number of different lineups, as two key midfield and defense players are expected to miss the match due to yellow cards.
Star midfielder Yossi Benayun, who plays for Racing Santander in Spain, told Ynet “Right now I’m tired, and that’s natural, but when you join the national squad you gather strength.”
“In the next few days we will practice full-throttle to get a good result, and then we will be able to enjoy the vacation,” he said.
When asked whether the players have been informed of the changes made in the Irish squad since the last time the two teams met (1:1), Benayun said, “Today we will hold a meeting, and you can bet Avram studied the material really well.”
'A draw would be good as well'
On Thursday the squad is set to leave England for Dublin.
“We have a good feeling ahead of the game, but we must bear in mind that Ireland is one of the best teams in Europe, especially at home,” he said.
“We believe in ourselves and we want to win the match, but a draw would be a good result for us as well,” he said.
