France can book a place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals by beating Israel in Paris.
Didier Deschamps' men have taken nine points from their four Group A2 matches so far, including a 4-1 win in the first leg.
Even without Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé, the match should be a formality for Deschamps' talent-packed side.
However, events off the pitch dominated the build-up.
Why is France vs Israel, a match with "high risk"?
French authorities said the match, which will take place at the Stade de France in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, was a "high-risk" event.
In an interview with BFMTV, Paris security chief Laurent Nunez said 4,000 security officers would be deployed in the stadium and surrounding area for the match - a particularly high number as the French Football Federation said in Ouest-France that around 20,000 tickets have been sold.
This number could increase significantly as the match approaches, as the Stade de France is an 80,000-capacity venue, although La Provence said on November 9 that the match was expected to be the team's match most frequented national in the stadium. The previous lowest match was a FIFA Confederations Cup match against New Zealand, which was attended by 36,842 spectators. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to be present and a low turnout could be a relief for the head of state and the FFF given the volatile context surrounding the match.
Security concerns were raised when fans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv were attacked in Amsterdam following their 5-0 Europa League loss to Ajax on November 7. The scenes, condemned by world leaders including Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau, were preceded by violent activity incited by some supporters of the Tel Aviv-Yafo club, whose actions in the Dutch city included lowering Palestinian flags and singing anti-Arab slogans and insulting songs. on the dead and suffering of war
in Gaza.
Their next Europa League game against Besiktas on November 28 has been moved from Istanbul to the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary, and will be played behind closed doors.
The conflict that erupted after the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7 frames the high-tension atmosphere surrounding the France-Israel match. Israel this week, especially considering the host country's large Jewish and Muslim population.
Before the violence in Amsterdam, activists had organized a protest at the FFF headquarters to demand the cancellation of the match. When Paris Saint-Germain hosted Atlético Madrid at the Parc des Princes on November 6, the ultras of the Parisian club unveiled a large banner that read "Free Palestine. War on the field but peace in the world".
Israel's National Security Council has advised its national team fans to categorically avoid attending the France match.
Will it be the France-Israel match?
The match will take place as scheduled at 20:45 in Paris.
French deputy Julien Odoul suggested moving the match to Corsica. However, the island off the southern coast of France is a stronghold of the far-right Rally National party, which Odoul represents.
The Stade de France has experienced notable security issues recently. The stadium was the target of terrorist attacks in November 2015, when three suicide bombers failed to enter the stadium during France's match against Germany.
The 2022 UEFA Champions League final was moved to the Stade de France at short notice and has been an operational disaster. Liverpool fans were caught up in a dangerous riot outside the stadium before their side's 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid. Police fired tear gas, fans were attacked and public transport was disrupted after the final whistle. An independent report later placed "primary responsibility" for the chaos on UEFA. The Saint-Denis venue was also the main stadium of the Olympic Games earlier this year, where the events went off without a hitch.
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