Iceland road to Russia 2018 World Cup
Our Boys, the moniker by which the Icelandic team is known, clearly demonstrates the love and appreciation felt by the fan base for their national ensemble. Iceland has made history by qualifying to the World Cup for the very first time, as the least populated country ever to join with a little less than half-a-million inhabitants. A rocky start in the qualifying rounds eventually led to an increase in quality that allowed them to win the majority of their encounters, without a single loss at their local turf. They beat Croatia, Ukraine and Turkey to end up at the top of their group. Check Iceland Betting Odds here.
Led by coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, Iceland gave a kick start to its campaign with a positive result against Finland, beating them with a 2 goal difference over extra time. Then, a whole new year after, they fail to keep up their new quality standards when they pay a visit to the Finnish, losing this time 1-0. After learning the necessary lessons from the previous faux pas, they go on to obtain an amazing 3 goal victory over Turkey that is followed by another win at home versus Kosovo, obtaining the qualification for which they'd worked so hard. Unfortunately, a portion of the commotion has been dampened by defeats during two friendly encounters with Mexico (3-0) and Peru (3-1). Iceland has been fitted within Group D, alongside Nigeria, Argentina and European rival Croatia; they will meet the Gauchos first on June 16th.
A good deal of the credit for the rise of the North Atlantic team belongs to Hallgrimsson, who took over sole possession of the directing post after former co-trainer Lagerback resigned back on 2016. Through intense training sessions and proper use of the available keys, Hallgrimsson propelled his squad to the international scene with a speed and efficiency that had never been seen before. He's also supported the dual leadership of midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson and Captain Aron Gunnarsson: while the latter provides the necessary ground work for play-making, the first completes the task by scoring fantastic goals with masterful skill. Sigurdsson, who also plays for the Everton club, suffered an injury that has put his World Cup participation into question; let us hope he returns in time to join his teammates.
Iceland Key Players
Among those who've been confirmed to fly to Russia we can find defenders Ari Skulason, Holmar Eyjolfsson, Hordur Magnusson and Karl Arnason, plus goalkeepers Runar Runnarsson and Hannes Halldorsson. Besides injured Sigurdsson, the midfield will be occupied by Aron Gunnarsson, Birkir Bjarnason, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Rurik Gislason. All things considered, Hallgrimsson possesses very few power players to execute his plans; it might prove wise to diversify the roster in case Sigurdsson is ultimately unable to make the final cut. Iceland's gains have been noticed by the betting experts, who've placed them above other more traditional names in the World Cup betting odd boards. They're listed with odds that range between 100 and 250 to 1.
Stay tuned to SKYBOOK.ag for all the best Russia 2018 World Cup betting odds, available throughout the entire competition, including odds on each and every game, plus outright winner, group stage and individual player proposition bets. Make sure to stock up your account in time for this massive event and take advantage of our special promotions.
