Euro 2016 Qualifier preview and odds: Iceland vs. Latvia

Published on: 08/10/2015

Euro 2016 Qualifier preview and odds: Iceland vs. Latvia

October 10, 2015 17:00pm Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik

Euro 2016 Group A

Iceland will welcome Latvia to Reykjavik on Saturday for what could be little more than a qualification party for the home side.

Iceland to make international tournament debut

Neither team has anything to lose in this match as Iceland have already qualified, and Latvia will definitely not be making the journey to France next summer.

However, for the team from the North Atlantic, it will be a chance to celebrate their first major tournament qualification in front of their home fans.

Pressure off for both teams

In theory, Iceland still have first place in Group A to play for, but with their ultimate quest of qualifying already achieved, Lars Lagerbäck & Heimir Hallgrímsson`s team could be forgiven for taking their feet off the gas.

With the pressure off both teams, this could be an open and entertaining game. The last time the teams met, Iceland ran out 3-0 winners after bagging three goals in the last 25 minutes of the Group A clash in Latvia. That was Iceland`s first ever win against Latvia having lost their two other previous meetings in the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Team news

Iceland will be without Aron Gunnarsson who is missing through suspension however, both teams can be expected to make changes for this game.

Recent form (Euro Qualifying)

Iceland: DWWWL

Latvia: LDLDL

Betting odds and tips

Iceland have one of the best defensive records in all the qualifying groups having conceded a total of just three goals in their eight games. They have not been beaten on home soil for more than two years.

Latvia have failed to win a single game in their qualifying section and have only scored four goals. However, they have managed to draw half of their games including an away draw against joint-leaders Czech Republic.

The away side have drawn three and lost one on the road and could grab another point on Saturday. You can back the draw at 18/5 with Betfair.

Published on: 08/10/2015

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (08/10/2015 14:46:24) but are subject to change.