Iceland and Nigeria come into this game off the back of contrasting performances and results. The Viking’s dogged performance against group favourites Argentina has been highly praised and earned them a deserved point. Nigeria, meanwhile, were poor as they were comfortably dispatched by Croatia. If Nigeria are to stand any chance of qualifying, they will need to be much improved in Volgograd. For Iceland, victory would put them in a dominant position ahead of their final group game against Croatia. Iceland v Nigeria will go a long way to deciding the group.
World Cup: Iceland v Nigeria Preview
Iceland
Iceland were superb against Argentina, defending with 10 men behind the ball, all well organised and with an understanding of their role. They swarmed two or three players around Lionel Messi every time he received the ball, stifling his world-class quality.
No Icelandic player was booked against Argentina, leaving no suspension worries. Iceland are likely to play their 4-4-1-1 formation again, but with Gylfi Sigurdsson restricted by less defensive responsibilities.
Key Man
Gylfi Sigurdsson is undoubtedly Iceland’s most talented player. Against Argentina, the spirited team performance was the catalyst for the point, but the game plan against Nigeria must differ on Friday.
Iceland will be clear favourites and the emphasis will be on them to take the game to Nigeria. This makes Sigurdsson, Iceland’s chief creator, vital. During qualifiers, he scored four goals and created three assists. The Everton attacking midfielder will have less defensive responsibility on Friday, which should allow him to play closer to striker Alfred Finnbogason.
Meanwhile, Nigeria will get men behind the ball and aim to be difficult to break down. Sigurdsson’s quality will be the key to unlocking Nigeria’s defence.
Nigeria
The Super Eagles were poor against Croatia and were lucky to only lose by two. They lacked quality going forwards, failing to give striker Odion Ighalo enough support. Once they went a goal behind, they never looked like getting back into the game.
Meanwhile, with Argentina to come in their final group game, a win is essential if they are to stand any chance of qualification. Manager Gernot Rohr has experimented with several formations since taking over in 2016 and could change from the 4-2-3-1 used against Iceland. Rohr used 3-5-2 in the friendly win against Argentina in November and could opt for this in an attempt to provide more attacking options.
Should he opt for this change, Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho would likely step in as the second striker. Defender William-Troost Ekong was the only Nigeria player to pick up a yellow card in the first group game.
Key Man
Victor Moses is Nigeria’s most talented attacking player but was underwhelming against Croatia. Whilst Iceland will likely play a more expansive style than they did against Argentina, they will still be robust and well organised.
Moses’ pace and ability on the ball will be Nigeria’s most threatening outlet. His direct style could cause Iceland problems, unlike Argentina, who struggled to get in behind Iceland. If he is able to get the Icelandic defenders facing their own goal, he has the quality to provide for men in the box.
Last Meeting: The two sides have met only once previously, a friendly match which resulted in a comfortable 3-0 win for Iceland in 1981.
Iceland v Nigeria: Prediction
The first goal will be vital in Volgograd. Should Iceland get it, they can revert to their highly organised style and hit Nigeria on the counter. If that is the case, it is difficult to see Nigeria having the attacking quality to break Iceland down.
Contrastingly, if Nigeria manage to score first, Iceland will be forced to play a more open style and Nigeria have the pace to cause them problems on the counter.
Iceland 1-0 Nigeria
Main Image Credit:
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