Thousands of police officers are set to be deployed around Paris on Thursday ahead of a soccer game between France and Israel, seeking to avoid a repeat of last week's violence in Amsterdam involving locals and Israeli fans.

The atmosphere at the stadium was clearly tense on Thursday, with reports of a brief altercation between a small number of fans in the stands early in the game.

A heavy police presence but few visiting fans are expected when France hosts Israel in Nations League soccer on Thursday, a week after violence erupted in Amsterdam in connection with an Israeli team’s visit.