Nigeria vs Iceland
They hail from very different climates, but when the Super Eagles of Nigeria meet the Icemen on Friday they both come with an identical aim.
Neither team won its opener, so this is a massive game where the victor gives itself a good chance of escaping Group D, while the loser will be on its way home.
You could argue these are two of the lesser lights of FIFA 2018, but you’ll have to look very hard indeed to find a match-up with more commitment, blood, sweat and thunder.
The Volgograd Arena will be bouncing to the rhythm of the Super Eagles’ fans who love a party—but will be demanding passion like never before to erase the memory of a limp opening against Croatia in Group D.
Meanwhile, when the Iceland supporters begin to roar their Viking war chant it’ll make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. In a sparsely populated country famous for volcanic activity, these warriors are used to explosive episodes; and we’re looking forward to another one on Friday.
Talking Points
Gernot Rohr wouldn’t have been amused by the way Nigeria surrendered their opening match to Croatia. It’s all very well having the most ridiculous suits and having the most fun, but this is serious business! The FIFA 2018 odds suggested Rohr’s team could be a decent outside bet, but they can’t afford any more disasters.
And the Super Eagles have plenty of ability to call upon. Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi is a real talent while wing-back Victor Moses is in fine form after a superb season with Chelsea.
Premier League fans are also already getting to know the strength and poise of Wilfred N’Didi bought by Leicester City as a replacement for N’Golo Kante. And skipper John Obi Mikel still knows how to dominate a midfield to allow his more creative players the space to damage the opposition.
But they weren’t able to do so against Croatia so what hope against the Vikings?
Iceland is the smallest nation ever to play in the World Cup with a population of just over 300,000—99.6 per cent of which watched the draw with Argentina! Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson and skipper Aron Gunnarsson know they have the backing of a nation and that their players will run through walls for the cause.
Hallgrimsson may be sweating on the fitness of winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson, who limped off against Argentina. He gives the Iceland team great balance down the right flank, and if the Burnley man is fit, expect an unchanged line-up.
Alfred Finnbogason scored in his third consecutive game to grab a deserved point against Argentina. However, much of the credit went to keeper Hannes Halldorsson who played a blinder, saving a penalty from the great Lionel Messi.
The Icemen head into Friday’s clash full of confidence and the onus is on the Super Eagles to somehow break their spirit. Good luck with that!
History
In terms of head-to-head clashes we don’t have much to go on for our SBOBET tips. The only previous meeting between Iceland and Nigeria resulted in a 3-0 win for the Europeans in a friendly back in 1981.
But we have much more to work on. Although it’s Iceland’s first appearance at the World Cup, the tiny nation is well respected in Europe after starring in Euro 16 and knocking England out in the process. They went 2-1 up in that game within 20 minutes and then snuffed the English out. Signs that this was becoming a serious football nation first appeared in the qualification rounds for FIFA 2014, when Iceland narrowly missed out after losing a play-off to Croatia.
Interestingly, the last World Cup debutants to win their first two games was Senegal in 2002, beating, guess who…Nigeria in their second game!
The Super Eagles have won just one of their last 13 World Cup games, but they do have a good record against European opposition, against whom all their five wins have come.
What are the odds?
This is a really tough result to call and the odds reflect that, with Iceland at 2.60 to win, Nigeria at 2.83 and the Draw down at 3.00.
Draw No bet is available with decent odds for both teams, the Icemen at 1.88 and Nigeria at 2.05. And it will be hard work for the attackers as we don’t expect a goal fest, more a war of attrition!
So you can get 1.81 on Over 2.00 goals or 2.09 on Under.
We’ve had it good so far at the World Cup and this promises to be another great game. You can get all the FIFA 2018 updates right here at SBOBET!
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