Iceland vs England Predictions

• England won seven of their eight Euro 2020 qualifiers in 2018/19.
• Iceland have scored in eight of their last ten matches.
• England have only kept five clean sheets in their last 13 away games.
• Jadon Sancho scored 17 league goals in 32 appearances for Borussia Dortmund last season.

England a different outfit since Euro 2016 defeat

England were famously knocked out of Euro 2016 at the hands of surprise package Iceland four years ago, but now a new-look Three Lions will be looking to avenge that dismal defeat.

Indeed, this England team is a far cry from the one that slumped to a 2-1 loss in Nice back then. Roy Hodgson departed soon after and now Gareth Southgate has endeared himself to the nation after leading England to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018.

They fell in the semi-finals of the inaugural UEFA Nations League as well, but now they’ll be looking to pick up some momentum ahead of next summer’s postponed European Championships.

Just four of the starting lineup from that fateful day in France remain in the squad, with Southgate instead turning his attention to the younger generation. Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood are the two standout stars among the six uncapped players included, while the front three is likely to comprise of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho to begin with.

Iceland set to struggle against Three Lions

Southgate’s setup has served him well so far. England won seven of their eight Euro 2020 qualifiers and have lost just one of their last 15 games in 90 minutes. 11 of these have ended in victory, and they are expected to make it 12 wins in 16 on Saturday.

Iceland are undeniably a team growing in stature. Their Euro 2016 appearance was their first ever major finals and they followed that with a showing at the 2018 World Cup. Their qualification to next summer’s tournament is yet to be decided, but their Nations League showing in 2018/19 wasn’t their best effort.

They lost all four games against Switzerland and Belgium and now face a tough group opener without star midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson. With a youthful and vibrant England looking so deadly at the moment, we fully expect a Three Lions win.

England defence to come under pressure

That’s not to say Iceland can’t threaten themselves, though. The hosts have scored in eight of their last ten games and face an England defence that have only kept five clean sheets in their last 13 away games. For this reason, backing England to win and both teams to score looks a very nice price. England have also averaged 3.5 goals per game across their last eight fixtures, so we like the look of a 3-1 correct score prediction.

As far as the goalscoring market is concerned, Jadon Sancho catches the eye. The absence of Marcus Rashford almost guarantees Sancho a spot in the starting lineup, and the young Borussia Dortmund star can look back upon a sensational season.

Sancho scored 17 league goals and provided 16 assists in 32 appearances last season and will be a real threat from the right of England’s front three. He opened his international account almost a year ago to the day against Kosovo, and we predict he will add to that tally in Rejkjavik.