Iceland vs Wales Prediction and Betting Tips

Craig Bellamy has made a promising start as Wales boss and will be looking to build more momentum when he takes his side to Iceland in the UEFA Nations League.

I thought we would see a close game when Turkey came to Cardiff in Bellamy’s first game at the helm and that’s how it panned out as the sides battled out a 0-0 draw.

A trip to Montenegro was a tough second assignment but the Dragons came out roaring and netted twice in the first three minutes, with their eventual 2-1 victory busting the coupon of our man Gabriel.

Bellamy seems to have brought a freshness and attacking vigour to the Welsh camp but now has another tricky road trip in Reykjavik.

Iceland are no longer the team that caused a sensation by reaching the quarter finals at Euro 2016 and qualifying for the World Cup two years later.

But they beat England in a Wembley friendly before Euro 2024 and claimed a 2-0 home win over Montenegro in their first Nations League clash so they will be dangerous opponents.

How the bookies view it: Dragons backed to keep roaring

This is a tricky one to call with Wales in decent form and Iceland usually pretty strong at home. Betano price an Icelandic win at 7/4, with the Dragons favourites at 29/20 and the draw paying 21/10.

Head to head: Welsh seeking a high five

Wales have dominated this fixture, winning their last four games against Iceland and losing just once in all seven meetings. They last faced off in a friendly back in 2014, with the Welsh winning 3-1 in Cardiff. They edged a 1-0 win on their last trip to Iceland in 2008.

Players to watch: Johnson is buzzing

Few players will have reported for international duty in better club form than Brennan Johnson. The winger has scored in his last six games for Spurs and is 5/2 with Betano to grab a goal for Wales here.

Iceland will be looking for wonderkid Orri Oskarsson to do a bit of damage after his displays for Copenhagen earned him a move to La Liga with Real Sociedad. The 20-year-old has already netted twice for his new club and is 9/4 to score against Wales.

Probable line-ups

Icelandic could field the same side who beat Montenegro at home, with all those starting players named in their squad for this game.

Wales should be along similar lines to their win over the Montenegrins, although Johnson should start here instead of coming off the bench after his electric form for Spurs.

Iceland: Valdimarsson, Sampsted, Hermannsson, Tomasson. Gretarsson, Sigurdsson, Thorsteinsson, Thordarson, Anderson, Gudmundsson, Oskarsson.

Wales: Darlow, Mepham, Williams, Davies, Ampadu, Rodon, Roberts, Wilson, Johnson, Cooper, Moore.

Anything else catch the eye?

Wales have gone on the attack in both games so far under Bellamy so it bodes well for a decent spectacle. Combining BTTS and over 2.5 goals pays 8/5 at Bet365 and that looks decent value.

There’s not much between the sides so it should be a close game. The half-time draw appeals at evens with Betfred while McBookie price a one-goal winning margin for either side at 6/5.

With Wales likely to attack again we could see a few corners and over 9.5 flag kicks pays 11/10 at Betfred.

This UEFA Nations League match between Iceland and Wales will be played on
Oct 11, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Iceland vs Wales prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.

Further Reading