Iceland vs Portugal

Out-of-sorts Iceland and high-flying Portugal are set to square off at Reykjavík’s Laugardalsvöllur in an exciting Euro 2024 qualifier.

Iceland’s bid to qualify for a third-ever major international tournament took a significant blow last week as a 2-1 home loss to Slovakia condemned them to a second defeat in three Group J matches (W1), leaving them four points adrift of the qualifying line. Forced to play catchup if they’re to reach the Euro finals for the first time since 2016, Age Hareide’s men must improve their underwhelming recent home record, having managed just one win in their last ten outings on home soil (D4, L5). Against this backdrop, ‘Our Boys’ have gone from strength to strength in Euro qualifiers at home, suffering just two defeats across their last 13 such fixtures (W9, D2). That could inspire their quest for a first-ever H2H win over Portugal (D1, L2).

However, Portugal’s form under new manager Roberto Martinez demands respect, with the ‘Selecao’ winning all three Euro 2024 qualifiers under the ex-Belgium boss by an aggregate score of 13-0 to seize control in Group J. After a 6-0 demolition of Luxembourg on their only travel in 2023, Portugal hammered Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-0 at home last weekend, imposing themselves as the most prolific team in the ongoing qualifying cycle. It’s still early in the qualifying campaign, but the visitors look all but set to maintain their outstanding record of reaching every major international tournament in the 21st century. But a five-game away form in competitive action (W2, D2, L1) calls for caution, suggesting another victory is not a foregone conclusion.