Turkey vs Iceland

Gürsel Aksel Stadyumu in Izmir sets the stage for Turkey’s must-win UEFA Nations League clash against Iceland.

Turkey failed to triumph in their Nations League opener as Wales held them to a scoreless draw in Cardiff last weekend, preventing them from building on a confidence-boosting run to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals. Back to home soil for the first time since October 2023 when they humbled Latvia 4-0 in Vincenzo Montella’s only home game in charge, the Crescent Stars will be out to post their first victory against Iceland since 2015. Interestingly, Montella has managed 13 of his 14 games at the helm on foreign soil, hence a sense of uncertainty surrounding this fixture. The Turks have lost three of their last four encounters against Iceland (D1), failing to get on the scoreboard on three occasions. However, they’ve netted 2+ goals in five straight undefeated Nations League outings at home (W3, D2).

Meanwhile, visiting Iceland kicked off their Group B4 campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win against Montenegro on home turf, boosting Age Heraide’s hopes of beating Turkey as a manager for the first time. The 70-year-old tactician has gone winless in both previous matches against the Turks (D1, L1), but his side’s recent showings on the road can inspire confidence around the traveling camp. Iceland punched above their weight to defeat England and Israel on two of their last four international travels (L2). However, Iceland’s perennial struggles in this competition had seen them fail to win a Nations League game at any venue before overcoming Montenegro last week (D4, L10).