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Lebanon and Palestine clash at the Khalid bin Mohammed Stadium in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates on Thursday for their opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The sides have been drawn in Group I along with Australia and Bangladesh in a tough-looking group in the Asian zone, the AFC.
The Cedars come into the fixture on the back of consecutive losses, having lost 3-2 to Montenegro and 2-1 to the UAE last month, both in friendlies. The second defeat was particularly heartbreaking, with Lebanon conceding the winner in the 94th minute to Sultan Adil.
Head coach Nikola Jurčević has called up 25 players for this month's qualifiers against Palestine and Bangladesh, including veteran forward and captain, Hassan Maatouk.
There are no uncapped players in the squad whereas Jihad Ayoub, Majed Osman and Soony Saad are the only foreign-based players.
Palestine return to action for the first time since September. Last month, they were scheduled to play Tajikistan in the 2023 Merdeka Tournament, but withdrew following the breakout of the Israel-Hamas war.
Lebanon vs Palestine Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- There have only been five clashes between the sides, with Lebanon beating Palestine on just one occasion and losing to them twice.
- Lebanon's only ever win over Palestine came in July 1998, a 3-1 victory at the FIFA Arab Cup.
- The last two clashes between Lebanon and Palestine have ended in draws: 1-1 in November 2016 friendly and 0-0 in August 2019 West Asian Football Federation Championship.
- Palestine have won just one of their last five games - a 2-1 win over Bahrain in a March friendly.
- Palestine have lost their most recent three games - 2-0 vs China, 2-1 vs Oman and 2-0 vs Vietnam.
- Lebanon have lost their last two games and three of their last four.
Lebanon vs Palestine Prediction
Neither side are on a strong run of form right now. Palestine have lost their last three games, while Lebanon have lost three of their last four.
The sides lack genuine quality and we could see a third consecutive draw between them.
Prediction: Lebanon 1-1 Palestine
Lebanon vs Palestine Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
