Iceland and Croatia Fight for Group Supremacy in World Cup 2018 Qualifiers
Published June 11, 2017 by Florin P
Iceland seeks its first ever victory over Croatia, a triumph that would allow them to leapfrog the current group leaders (7:45 p.m UK Time).
Iceland is yet to win a match against Croatia after losing 4 out of 5 and scoring goals just once. Luckily for them, things have changed for the better and over the last couple of years their team improved. The recent performance at Euro 2016 was impressive on many levels and gives them confidence ahead of this fixture. Securing the first win over Croatia this weekend would bring them closer to a historic participation to the World Cup.
Iceland to Open a New Chapter
Icelandic players are highly motivated to defeat Croatia for the first time in the country’s history. In order to do that, they will have to play the same offensive football that dazzled the eye in France. Defensively, they are still very vulnerable, but if they can exercise constant pressure, the backline will have little to worry about. None of their key midfielders are missing, which is great news for the home side.
So far, they managed to win all the games played at home and except for the 2-0 defeat in Zagreb, they showed no signs of weakness. The temperatures are going to be pretty high, so they can’t count on whether to level the playing field. The stadium will be packed with enthusiastic players and for the first time ever, they believe in their country’s ability to defeat Croatia.
Croatia Plays the Long Game
The visitors are leading the group, which comes as no surprise given the fact that they were credited the first chance to win it. Undefeated and with 11 goals scored so far, they are clearly the best team all around and a strong candidate to qualify directly to the World Cup.
Croatia’s head to head record with Iceland could encourage players to chase another victory, even though they play on the road. At the same time, the team has matured and realizes the importance of keeping players healthy and fit. That’s why punters should expect the low scoring game, one dominated by Iceland and bet on the host to win or draw at odds of 9/10 with bet365 Sports.
