Iceland and Wales both picked up wins in the last international break, with Turkey taking the lead in the group. It seems as though the Icelanders and the Welsh will be looking to deny each other any dangerous moments in their head-to-head match, as they’re playing for the most valuable points in the group.
At home against Montenegro (2:0), Iceland prevailed thanks to a cohesive performance across all lines. The team was able to adapt to playing without their leading striker Albert Gudmundsson, with the Fiorentina forward missing the match due to injury. On the other hand, the Serie A forward was sorely missed against Turkey (1:3), where the team created only 0.07 xG with one shot on target over the 90 minutes (compared to their opponents’ 2.22 xG from 21 shots).
Wales, in their usual style, played a low-scoring match against Turkey with a minimum of dangerous moments (0:0 and 0.16 xG against Turkey’s 2.28). Against the group’s weakest side, Montenegro (2:1), their attack, featuring Harry Wilson and Brennan Johnson, came alive, although the Welsh didn’t push forward after the break, protecting their two-goal lead. The three-at-the-back formation allows them to meet opponents low and minimise the risk of dangerous attacks.
In Reykjavík, both Iceland and Wales will be cautious. Wales are currently above the Icelanders in the table, so the hosts will need to show attacking initiative, even though they’re not used to being the dominant force.
| Bookmaker | 1 | X | 2 | U 2.5 | O 2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2/1
|
11/5
|
7/5
|
3/5
|
5/4
|
|
|
2/1
|
2/1
|
7/5
|
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Åge Hareide
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
Hákon Rafn Valdimarsson
|
gk. | 13 | -20 |
Elias-Rabn Olafsson
|
gk. | 6 | -8 |
Patrik Gunnarsson
|
gk. | 4 | -2 |
Sverrir Ingason
|
df. | 49 | 3 |
Guðlaugur Victor Pálsson
|
df. | 45 | 2 |
Yortyur Hermannsson
|
df. | 28 | 1 |
Alfons Sampsted
|
df. | 21 | 0 |
Daníel Leó Grétarsson
|
df. | 20 | 0 |
Kolbeinn Finnsson
|
df. | 13 | 0 |
Valgeir Lunddal Fridriksson
|
df. | 11 | 0 |
Logi Tómasson
|
df. | 4 | 0 |
Gylfi Sigurðsson
|
mf. | 82 | 27 |
Arnor Ingvi Traustason
|
mf. | 58 | 6 |
|
Isak Bergmann Johannesson
|
mf. | 28 | 3 |
Stefán Teitur Thórdarson
|
mf. | 22 | 1 |
Mikael Egill Ellertsson
|
mf. | 15 | 1 |
|
Willum Thór Willumsson
|
mf. | 11 | 0 |
Brynjolfur Darri Willumsson
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson
|
fw. | 94 | 8 |
Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson
|
fw. | 39 | 6 |
Mikael Anderson
|
fw. | 28 | 2 |
Andri Gudjohnsen
|
fw. | 26 | 6 |
Orri Steinn Óskarsson
|
fw. | 10 | 3 |
|
Craig Bellamy
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
Danny Ward
|
gk. | 42 | -45 |
Adam Davis
|
gk. | 5 | -2 |
Karl Darlow
|
gk. | 1 | -1 |
Ben Davies
|
df. | 89 | 2 |
Connor Roberts
|
df. | 57 | 3 |
Chris Mepham
|
df. | 47 | 0 |
|
Joe Rodon
|
df. | 47 | 0 |
Neco Williams
|
df. | 41 | 4 |
|
Rhys Norrington-Davies
|
df. | 12 | 1 |
Ben Cabango
|
df. | 9 | 0 |
Owen Beck
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Joseph Allen
|
mf. | 73 | 2 |
Jordan James
|
mf. | 13 | 0 |
Josh Sheehan
|
mf. | 7 | 0 |
|
Oliver Cooper
|
mf. | 3 | 0 |
Harry Wilson
|
fw. | 57 | 9 |
|
Kieffer Moore
|
fw. | 45 | 13 |
|
Brennan Price Johnson
|
fw. | 30 | 3 |
David Brooks
|
fw. | 28 | 4 |
Nathan Broadhead
|
fw. | 10 | 2 |
Sorba Thomas
|
fw. | 10 | 0 |
Mark Harris
|
fw. | 6 | 0 |
|
Wes Burns
|
fw. | 6 | 0 |
Lewis Koumas
|
fw. | 4 | 0 |
|
Liam Cullen
|
fw. | 3 | 0 |
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