After a thumping victory in their opening FIFA World Cup qualifier (WCQ), Iceland face one of the biggest challenges in international football as they travel to Paris to take on France.
Match News and Current Form
France have reached the final of the last two World Cups, and their bid to reach the next edition got off to a good start as they beat Ukraine 2-0 on Friday. Captain Kylian Mbappé was on target for his country for the 51st time, levelling Thierry Henry’s goal tally for Les Bleus as they responded perfectly to disappointment in the Nations League in the summer. Didier Deschamps’ men will be full of confidence that they can back that up here given that only Spain have beaten them in a home WCQ game in the last 32 years (W16, D8), with that sole defeat coming back in March 2013.
Iceland could not have wished for a better start to this WCQ campaign, thrashing Azerbaijan 5-0 to soar to the top of Group D. The emphatic nature of the scoreline may have come as a surprise to their fans after they were relegated to the third tier of the Nations League with a whimper in March, but it’s kickstarted dreams of just a second-ever appearance at the World Cup finals. Achieving that goal could depend on improving their away form as Iceland have been beaten in three of their last four such matches (W1).
Head-to-Head History
France have never been beaten by Iceland in 15 previous meetings (W11, D4), winning the last three competitive H2Hs by an aggregate score of 10-2. Iceland have only avoided defeat in one of their previous eight away H2Hs (D1, L7).
Hot Stats and Streaks
Only one of France’s last five matches saw both teams on the scoresheet.
France have had an average of 20 shots per game across their last five fixtures.
Just two of Iceland’s last seven WCQ away games saw both teams score.
Iceland have scored before half-time in eight of their last 11 matches.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Michael Olise was on target for France on Friday to make it five goals in his last four matches for club and country, all of which came before the hour mark. Iceland’s Ísak Jóhannesson is also a man in form after netting a brace against Azerbaijan, keeping him unbeaten for his country when hitting the target (W4, D1).
Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué have left the France camp after sustaining injuries against Ukraine, while Iceland could be missing Victor Pálsson after he was forced off late on against Azerbaijan.
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Betting Analysis
Injuries to France’s forward line may hinder their ability to win emphatically here, so backing them to emerge victorious with under 2.5 match goals could produce a profit.
Author: Ryan Fisher