Spain have made a solid start to their World Cup qualification campaign, with Julen Lopetegui’s side having won three of their opening four matches to move to the top of the table. However, only tiebreakers keep them above second-placed Italy, meaning the Spaniards will be eager to maintain their momentum when they host Israel in Gijón on Friday.
Spain vs. Israel, 2018 World Cup qualifier: Game time, TV schedule, and live stream
Spain will look to avoid an upset at home to Israel on Friday.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
The game has the potential to be more difficult than Spain expect: Israel are just a point in arrears of the pacesetters after four matches, and head into this one on the back of three straight victories. That said, they were fairly convincingly dispatched by Italy on the opening match day, and Spain will still be expecting to come away with all three points.
How to watch, stream, and listen
Date and time: Friday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
TV: Fox Sports 2 (U.S. - English); ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish); Sportsnet 360 (Canada); Sky Sports 5/HD (U.K.)
Online streaming: WatchESPN (U.S. - English); ESPN Deportes+ (U.S. - Spanish); Sportsnet World Now (Canada); Sky Go (U.K.)
For online listings in other countries, you can check out LiveSoccerTV
Three big things to know
1. Spain are still unbeaten since Julen Lopetegui replaced Vicente del Bosque at the helm in the aftermath of their elimination from Euro 2016. However, they were held to a 2-2 draw by England at Wembley back in November, with Iago Aspas and Isco both getting on the scoresheet in a dramatic late comeback.
2. Spain last made the trip to Israel for a World Cup qualifier in 2001. On that occasion they were held to a 1-1 draw, though they’d won the reverse fixture 2-0 in Madrid a few months earlier.
3. Israel are hoping to qualify for their first World Cup since 1970, when they were eliminated without winning a game. However, given the difficult group they’ve been handed, that isn’t going to be an easy task.
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