Betting Tips: Northern Ireland can bounce back with victory over Israel

Northern Ireland may not have secured a place at a major tournament in recent years, but they have become a very solid international side.

888Sport offer 42/41 (2.02) that Michael O'Neill's men come out on top in their friendly clash with Israel. The visitors are 11/4 (3.75) underdogs and the draw trades at 28/13 (3.15) at the time of writing.

The home side lost 2-1 to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday but will be disappointed not to take anything from their opening Nations League encounter.

Northern Ireland racked up 18 corners and 26 shots, eight of which were on target yet were undone by a team who made the 32% of possession count in the final third.

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The Green and White Army usually excel on home soil though, even outside of competition. While some teams may lack total commitment to such encounters, O'Neill's side have won five of their last six friendly clashes.

Israel lost 1-0 in Albania in their Nations League clash and don't often play on the road in friendlies. In fact, this will be their first game as the away side since May 2016.

In the matches they have played recently they've drawn with Moldova and lost 2-1 to Romania.

The visitors were dealt a tough hand in their World Cup qualification group for Russia 2018 and finished a respectable fourth as Spain and Italy finished in the top two spots.

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While Windsor Park isn't quite the same level of test, Northern Ireland are very solid opposition and can often stifle teams attempting to find some joy in the final third.

In their quest to secure a place in Russia, O’Neill’s men secured home wins over Norway and Czech Republic, both of whom are ranked at least 40 places above Israel by FIFA.

Those ranking aren't perfect of course, but they do give some indication as to the level of opposition that Northern Ireland are coming up against.

Four of the five friendly victories they've managed since November 2015 have come with a clean sheet. A repeat here is around 2/1 (3.0) but keeping it simple and backing the home side at odds against looks to be the best option ahead of Tuesday's clash.

Northern Ireland to win at 42/41 (2.02) for a 1pt stake with 888Sport 888Sport