Iceland – Croatia

Two teams who participated at the Euro 2016 in France are meeting each other once again. Iceland hosts Croatia in a game from Group I of the World Cup qualifications.

Both teams are being on top of the group right now, with Croatia being the leader. The Balkan team have won 13 points in the first five rounds, while Iceland have won 10. They are currently second in the group. But their lead in front of Ukraine and Turkey is just two points, so they need to continue enjoying positive results in the coming matches.

The last time when Croatia and Iceland met was in November in Zagreb. The Croats won the match with 2-0, with both goals being scored by Inter’s Marcelo Brozovic.

This is Iceland’s only loss in the group so far. The other game in which they have lost points so far was the 1-1 draw against Ukraine in the first round. They have won the other three games they have played in the group so far – against Finland, Turkey and Kosovo. Iceland have scored 8 goals so far in Group I, conceding 6 in the process.

Croatia on the other hand are in a great run of four consecutive wins at the moment. They have started their campaign with a home draw against Turkey, but after that they were flawless against Kosovo, Finland, Iceland and Ukraine. They have scored 11 goals in the group so far and conceded just one – against Turkey. They have kept a clean sheet in four consecutive matches.

This is a game which could really move Croatia incredibly closer to the first spot in the group. If they win this game, they will make a huge step towards the direct qualification for the World Cup.

Iceland on the other hand should try avoid losing, because they could hand the second place to Ukraine or Turkey.