Iceland v Austria: Das Team to thaw out Iceland’s strong defence
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Euros newboys Iceland have soaked up the pressure to bag two memorable draws, against Portugal and Hungary – but their hard-working defence will be no match for an Austrian attack who will have to rediscover their striking prowess here.
Marcel Koller’s side scored in all ten of their Euro 2016 qualifying games, taking an impressive 28 points from ten games, with the 4-1 away win over Sweden a reflection of this side’s enormous quality.
Their early tournament wobble against Hungary was a huge surprise, but after a much-improved defensive display in the 0-0 draw with Portugal, they’re finding their feet at Euro 2016.
And with a wealth of attacking talent in the form of Marc Janko, Marko Arnautovic, and Martin Harnik, they’re unlikely to have another off day in this crucial Group F clash.
Similarly, it’s unlikely Iceland will continue to hit the heights of their last two displays. After all, they lost seven of their final 10 games heading into this tournament, including an embarrassing defeat to UAE.
The defensive frailties do exist for Strakamir okkar and after two energy-sapping displays where they registered 28 per cent possession (against Portugal) and 33 per cent (against Hungary), expect for a hungry Austrian attack to pick them off and net several goals, to boost their chances of reaching the last 16.
Das Team are the men to back in the match betting, with 21/20 for their first victory of Euro 2016, while Iceland are 14/5 and it’s 5/2 for the draw.
However, there could be even better value on Austria elsewhere, with the prolific Marc Janko – who boasts 26 goals in his 55 international appearances – a tempting 10/1 to score twice or more against the Scandinavian outfit.
Meanwhile, the 8/11 on Austria to score first seems like a very sensible bet. The return may be modest, but they netted first in nine of their 10 Euro 2016 qualifiers, meaning it looks like a bit of a banker.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
