Nigeria vs Iceland Betting Tip (22.06.2018)

     

    Nigeria vs Iceland Betting Tip

     

    2018 FIFA World Cup | Friday, 22nd June 2018 | 4:00 pm | St. Petersburg
    NigeriaVIceland
    Lost Lost Lost Draw LostPerformanceDraw Draw Lost Lost Lost

     

    Home
    2,90 at 

     

    Draw
    3,20 at

     

    Away
    2,70 at 

     

    Nigeria vs Iceland | Prediction, Betting Tips & Odds

    Nigeria are one of the top Africa nations in the history of world football and were once ranked as the 5th best nation in the world.  They are not at those heights now but have qualified for six of the last seven World Cup finals, so have plenty of experience at this level.  In 2014 they reached the Round of 16 and will do well to repeat that feat in Russia. Iceland made history by qualifying for their first World Cup finals and are one of the smallest nations to play in the tournament.  However, they cannot be underestimated and their performances at the 2016 European Championship show they are a team capable of causing an upset.

    Match Preview

    Given their World Cup experience and previous record, you would expect Nigeria to come into this match as the favourites but they have a lot of work to do to reach the Round of 16.  Their top players are based in the Premier League but they do not have one world class player in their ranks which could make the difference. Iceland were not expected to do anything at Euro 2016 but not only did they qualify for the Round of 16, they defeated England to reach the quarter-final.  The Icelandic team work well together as a unit and will be quietly confident of winning this match and taking a big step towards the Round of 16.

    Nigeria

    Nigeria were very disappointing in their opening match against Croatia.  The Croat team were the favourites but Nigeria offered very little throughout the 90 minutes and must up their game considerably if they are to win this match.  The Super Eagles struggled to create clear chances and were poor when defending set-pieces.

    Iceland

    Iceland started with that was always going to be a tough match against Argentina.  Despite going a goal down, Iceland fought back to equalise and denied Lionel Messi from the penalty spot.  Iceland play a compact yet aggressive style of football, which is designed to frustrate the opposition.  They managed to keep Messi quiet and will expect to keep a clean sheet in this match.

    Nigeria vs Iceland Head to Head

    It may come as a surprise to some fans to learn Nigeria and Iceland have met once before in their history.  They contested a friendly in 1981 and Iceland came out on top 3-0.  Nigeria will be hoping for a better result 37 years later.

    Odds and Predictions

    Just four years ago, Nigeria would have been fancied to defeat Iceland but times have changed and it is the Icelandic team who come into this match as the slight favourites, priced at 17/10 with Bet365.  Nigeria are coming into this game on the back of a poor defeat, which has seen their odds change and they are now 19/10 to win this match, with the draw at 11/5. Iceland like to keep things tight and their first aim will be to keep Nigeria at bay before taking advantage of any opportunities in the attacking third.  If Iceland are to win, it will not be by a huge margin and you can get 3/1 for Iceland to win by a single goal.  Gylfi Sigurdsson is always going to be a threat and the Everton man is 5/2 to score at any time, with Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho 6/1 to get the first goal of the game.

    Nigeria vs Iceland Top Betting Tip: Iceland win (1-0)

    Iceland are not the prettiest team to watch but they play an effective brand of football.  The Icelandic players will have taken huge confidence from their performance against Argentina and have enough about them to defeat Nigeria by a single goal.

     

    Top Betting Tip: Iceland win (1-0)
     2,70 (Supabets)