Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the fifth-round Nations League matches will take place on Saturday in Nikšić, where Montenegro will host Iceland at the City Stadium. Here’s a promising goal-based bet for this matchup.
Match Preview
In their last outing, Robert Prosinečki's Montenegro suffered a narrow 0-1 away defeat to Wales, extending their winless streak in the Nations League to six matches. Montenegro failed to score in five of those encounters and, with no points in the current campaign, they are at the bottom of their group. Their chances of promotion are long gone, and should they fail to overcome Iceland, early relegation to League C will be unavoidable. Home advantage hasn’t been much help for Montenegro, as they’ve lost six of their nine Nations League home games, with one draw and five defeats.
Iceland, under Åge Hareide, also faced a setback in the last round, losing 2-4 at home to Turkey, continuing their own Nations League struggles. Iceland has just one win in their last 18 games (5 draws and 12 losses). With four points, they sit third in the group and are out of contention for promotion to League A. A defeat here, coupled with a Wales win in the parallel fixture, would also eliminate their chances of competing for second place.
Probable Lineups
- Montenegro: Igor Nikić – Adam Marušić, Igor Vujačić, Nikola Šipčić, Andrija Vukčević – Driton Camaj, Marko Bakić, Vladimir Jovović, Edvin Kuc – Stefan Mugoša, Nikola Krstović
- Iceland: Hákon Rafn Valdimarsson – Valgeir Lunddal Fridriksson, Victor Pálsson, Sverrir Ingi Ingason, Alfons Sampsted – Willum Þór Willumsson, Stefán Teitur Þórðarson, Jóhann Guðmundsson – Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson, Orri Óskarsson, Andri Guðjohnsen
Match Facts & Head-to-Head
- The teams have met only twice, with each winning at home and scoring two goals in each encounter.
- The "Total Over 2.5 Goals" bet has hit in four of Iceland's last five matches.
- Only two of Iceland’s last five games have seen both teams score.
Prediction
Bookmakers cautiously favor the home side with odds of 2.48 for a Montenegro win. We predict that Montenegro will avoid defeat, and our recommended bet is "Total Under 2.5 Goals" at odds of 1.75.
