Euro 2020: Big Week in Group H

Iceland vs France

World Champions France are back in action this Friday, but it could get a little chilly for Didier Deschamps as he takes his team north to face Iceland.

Euro 2020 Iceland vs France is one of the crucial clashes of the weekend because both are chasing qualification from Group H and as Deschamps knows, you can never take Our Boys for granted.

When the Viking Thunderclap reverberates around the Lugardalsvollur Stadium in Reykjavik, Erik Hamren’s men seem to grow in stature and the ferocity of their battle is the stuff of legends.

France need to keep cool heads and ride the storm. They sit joint top of Group H with Turkey, but Iceland is just three points behind. And as Les Bleus take on the Turks next, their prospects could look rock solid with two wins. However, a defeat on Friday will blow the top three race wide open.

Les Bleus gave Iceland a 4-0 thumping in the return match, and the latest pre-match

Iceland vs France betting odds suggest they will thrive again. But that result was a long time ago, and since then Iceland has been very impressive on home soil.

Talking Points

Iceland are ranked a full 39 places behind France in the FIFA World Rankings. Les Bleus sit in second with only Belgium to chase down, but that won’t worry Our Boys one bit.

They are used to upsetting the odds after all.

33-year-old Rostov defender Ragnar Sigurdsson is a rock at the back and a threat going forward, he already has two goals to his name in the tournament

And the hosts have Premier League quality in the middle of the park, with Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson still the Icelanders’ best player with a calm head, superb vision and a dead ball delivery to un-nerve any goalkeeper.

Meanwhile, out wide, Burnley’s Johann Berg Gudmundsson provides energy, skill and his fair share of goals, scoring a beauty in the Clarets’ season opener against Southampton.

Augsburg’s Alfred Finnbogason will hope to lead the underdogs’ line; He has 16 goals in 56 internationals and when Iceland counter-attacks he won’t be short of supply.

Euro 2020: Kingsley Coman scores for France in two of their three matches against Andorra — Kingsley Coman celebrates with Jonathan Ikone after scoring against Andorra

France without three key players

This is a pivotal week for France, one which has become all the more important after they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Turkey back in June. And the latest Iceland vs France news will give the hosts cause for optimism, as three of Les Bleus biggest World Cup stars are out through injury.

Goal-keeper and captain Hugo Lloris suffered a nasty elbow injury in Spurs’ defeat to Brighton at the weekend and he will be out until 2020. And that means Real Madrid reserve Alphonse Areola could get the nod for this fourth cap. In the absence of Lloris, Les Bleus will be skippered by Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane.

Another key figure at Frances’ Russia 2018 triumph, Paul Pogba, is also out injured. While he’s not pulling up any trees for Manchester United, Pogba was at his best in the World Cup. The midfield responsibility is left to Blaise Matuidi and N’Golo Kante and that’s still a pretty decent pairing!

Striker Kylian Mbappe is also out, so Barca’s Antoine Griezmann will take the responsibility upfront, probably alongside one of Olivier Giroud or Kingsley Coman.

Chelsea’s Giroud is the top scorer of France’s current crop, with 36 goals from 93 international while FC Bayern’s 23-year-old Coman has scored three goals in the last two games as Le Bleus swept aside Albania and Andorra.

There might be an outing for another 23-year- old in Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Lemar, while Monaco striker Wissam Ben Yedder could also make an appearance from the bench.

History

The smallest competitive nation in World Football reached the finals of the 2016 European Championships, winning fans around the world as they reached the quarter-finals and beat England on the way. Then Iceland followed that up with a first appearance in a World Cup finals tournament at Russia 2018.

Of course, they are facing the current World Champions, so they will need to be at their best to frustrate Les Bleus.

Our Boys have never beaten France, drawing four and losing ten of the 14 previous meetings. But while France has won the last three games on the bounce, the hosts have taken maximum points from their previous three home games.

It’s all set up to be a cracker, so let’s take a look at the very latest SBOBET odds to see where the value is.

Betting Tip

	Iceland vs France	Over 2.50 @ 1.96
	October 12, 02:45 (GMT+8)

With Iceland at 7.00 and France at 1.44 we can see which way this is likely to go, but I wouldn’t rule out the draw at 4.10, or even the double chance of Iceland or draw at 2.60.

France have the weaponry and Iceland have the fight in them. But one thing seems evident: they both score plenty of goals.

In the last three matches for both teams, there have been three or more goals, so that’s where I’m going.