Teams will not sit back on defense! Iceland vs Montenegro Prediction
One of the matches in the first round of the UEFA Nations League will take place this Friday in Reykjavik, where Iceland will face Montenegro. Here’s a prediction for the match from the Dailysports expert team.
Iceland
Iceland came close to securing a spot at Euro 2024. The team finished fourth in their qualifying group, significantly trailing behind Luxembourg, who claimed third. However, thanks to their strong UEFA Nations League ranking, the Icelanders earned a chance in the playoffs.
In their first playoff match, the "Vikings" defeated Israel 4:1, but then fell 1:2 to Ukraine in the final playoff. Following that, Iceland played two friendlies against top teams. They managed a narrow 1:0 victory over England but then suffered a heavy 0:4 loss to the Netherlands.
Montenegro
Montenegro also came close to qualifying for Euro 2024, finishing third in their group, just three points behind Serbia, who claimed second place. The Montenegrins showed solid form throughout the qualification cycle, with three wins, three losses, and two draws in their eight matches.
In 2024, Montenegro played more friendlies than Iceland, a total of four. They secured victories against Belarus (2:0) and North Macedonia (1:0), but fell to stronger teams like Belgium (0:2) and Georgia (1:3).
Interesting Facts and Head-to-Head History
- The teams have faced each other only once, in February 2012, when Montenegro won 2:1.
- Only two of Montenegro's last five matches have seen “Over 2.5 Goals.”
- Three of Iceland's last five matches have resulted in "Over 2.5 Goals."
Iceland vs Montenegro Prediction
Bookmakers give a slight edge to Iceland in this match, with odds of 2.18 for a home win. A solid betting option here is "Over 2.0 Goals" at 1.68, given both teams' tendencies to be involved in higher-scoring games recently.