Iceland will be aiming to start their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League campaign with a victory when they welcome Montenegro in Group 4 of League B on Friday night.
The hosts finished second in Group 2 of League B last time out, while Montenegro were third in Group 3 of the same division in their last Nations League campaign, so neither team were promoted nor relegated.
Match preview
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Iceland failed to qualify for Euro 2024, losing 2-1 to Ukraine in their playoff final back in March, meaning that the country have still only competed in the finals of two major tournaments - one World Cup and one European Championship.
Our Boys will be hoping to put together a strong qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup, but their immediate attention will be on the Nations League, as they prepare to take on Montenegro, Turkey and Wales in this particular section.
Age Hareide's side were last in action on June 10, suffering a 4-0 defeat to the Netherlands in a friendly, but they did manage to beat England 1-0 in a non-competitive fixture at the start of the same month.
Iceland, as mentioned, finished second in Group 2 of League B in their last Nations League campaign, drawing all four of their matches against Israel and Albania.
The national side have only ever faced Montenegro on one occasion, suffering a 2-1 defeat to the Brave Falcons when the two teams locked horns in a friendly back in February 2012.
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Montenegro finished third in their qualification section for Euro 2024, with the team therefore absent from the finals of the recent European Championship, while they have also never qualified for a World Cup.
Robert Prosinecki's side were beaten twice by Belgium and Georgia in friendlies at the start of June, but they did win their opening two fixtures of the year against Belarus and North Macedonia.
The Brave Falcons will welcome Wales in their second match in Group 4 of League B on September 9, before returning to action in October with fixtures against Turkey and Wales.
Montenegro gained promotion from League C of the Nations League due to their performance in the 2020-21 competition, and they then finished third in Group 3 of League B in 2022-23.
The national side have lost their last two matches in this competition against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Finland, with their last Nations League success proving to be a 3-0 win over Romania in June 2022.
Team News
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Iceland head coach Hareide did not spring any real surprises when it came to his squad for the team's next two matches, and it is expected to be a recognisable starting side for Friday's contest.
Andri Gudjohnsen is expected to be given the nod at centre-forward for this contest, although 20-year-old Orri Oskarsson, who plays his club football for Real Sociedad, has two goals in eight caps for the national side, and he is also pushing to be involved in the final third of the field.
Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson hit the winner against England at the start of June, and he is set to be another notable inclusion, while the experienced Johann Berg Gudmundsson, who left Burnley for Saudi Arabia over the summer, should secure his 94th cap on Friday.
As for Montenegro, Stevan Jovetic, who is a free agent after leaving Olympiacos earlier this year, is in line to win his 79th cap for the national side, and he is expected to be joined by Stefan Mugosa in the final third of the field.
Mugosa is the second-highest goalscorer in the current squad, netting 15 times for his country, and he is set to be in a side which should also include Vladimir Jovovic in a wide area.
There are three uncapped players in the current Montenegro squad, including 20-year-old forward Vladimir Perisic, while there could also potentially be a debut for midfielder Milan Vukotic.
Iceland possible starting lineup:
Valdimarsson; Palsson, Ingason, Hermansson, Finnsson; Traustason, Gudmundsson; Anderson, Haraldsson, Thorsteinsson; A Gudjohnsen
Montenegro possible starting lineup:
Mijatovic; Vesovic, Vukcevic, Marusic, Radunovic; Jovovic, Camaj, Erakovic, Brnovic; Jovetic, Mugosa
We say: Iceland 1-0 Montenegro
We are not expecting a goal fest on Friday evening, and it would not be a shock to see the points shared in this contest. Iceland will have home advantage, though, and we are backing Hareide's side to navigate their way to a narrow success here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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