Italy is currently trailing Norway by 9 points in the group, but they have two games in hand.

They lost the first head-to-head clash with Norway, which means they cannot afford to drop any more points, as even the second spot currently held by Israel could be at risk.

Israel plays its home matches in Hungary, which is a disadvantage, and most of their points so far have come against the weaker opponents, such as Estonia and Moldova. Facing Italy, however, is a far greater challenge.