Celtic star Nir Bitton’s Israel finish fifth in Euro 2020 qualifying

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Celtic utility man Nir Bitton’s dismal Euro 2020 qualifying campaign ended in another defeat last night.

His Israel side lost their fifth game of the campaign in a 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia. This follows defeats off Poland (x2), Slovenia, and Austria respectively.

Nir played yet another 90 minutes in the Macedonia loss, following on from another 90-minute display against Poland on Saturday. His performance was nothing to shout or complain about.

With Hatem Abd Elhamed sidelined, there’s no denying that Israel have been weakened by his absence. But their horrific form in Group G means that they end the group in fifth place. That’s despite the fact they were drawn into the group as the third seeds.

Results have been a total embarrassment for Israel, who sit only ahead of Latvia in Group G. The return of Bitton hasn’t been enough to halt the slide. He’s played in four of Israel’s five defeats in qualifying (Transfermarkt).

Still hope for Bitton’s Israel

Despite their shambolic final position in Group G, they still have hope via the Nations League playoffs.

There’s a chance that Bitton could be playing at Hampden in March for a chance to compete at the Euro 2020 finals. Israel haven’t managed to reach a playoff game in 20 years. Their wait to go to an international tournament is even longer than Scotland’s. They haven’t qualified for a major tournament since 1970.

Bitton has been out talking up the potential achievement, and he’s clearly eyeing playoff success with his country next year (Daily Record).

But there’s no getting away from the fact that the Celtic man has had an embarrassing Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. To be ranked ahead of both Slovenia and Macedonia only to finish below them is poor. The fact they only managed 11 points shows just how poor they were.

Bitton could end up facing as many as seven different Celtic players in the playoffs too. If he’s drawn against Scotland, he could be up against James Forrest, Greg Taylor, Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie, and Leigh Griffiths. Should they reach the final, Norway could be waiting with Kristoffer Ajer and Mohamed Elyounoussi in their side.

It’ll certainly be worth watching to find out which of the Celts can make the Euros. However, for Bitton and Israel, they’ll have plenty of regrets heading into it after a shocking series of Group G matches.