Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Nations League match.
Over the weekend, Wales were unable to close the gap on Turkey in the standings after their head-to-head encounter ended in a goalless draw (0:0). In Cardiff, against Iceland, the Welsh side are unlikely to take risks again, although the Scandinavians will allow the hosts to launch dangerous counter-attacks, as the visitors have nothing to lose.
Wales
In the stadium in Kayseri, Wales were simply fortunate not to lose to the group leaders: Kerem Aktürkoğlu missed a penalty in the dying moments, and the xG difference was significant (0.24-2.77). Craig Bellamy will stick with the 5-3-2 formation—he will allow Neco Williams and Sorba Thomas to push higher up against a less dangerous opponent. Let's not forget that Harry Wilson has flourished in the Welsh ranks since the departure of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey—the Fulham midfielder has notched 3 goals in the Nations League.
Iceland
In five group stage matches, Iceland have seen three games go over 2.5 goals. The first meeting with Wales in Reykjavik (2:2) brought Iceland an emotional draw as they came back after conceding two first-half goals. Over the weekend, the Scandinavians again showed character by defeating Montenegro late on (2:0)—substitutes Mikael Ellertsson and Ísak Jóhannesson contributed a goal and an assist each.
Wales vs Iceland Prediction
Neither team intends to share points with their rival. It is likely that Wales and Iceland will deliver another high-scoring match: the visitors will open up the game from the first minute.
