Iceland striker Alfred Finnbogason. (Photo : Getty Images)
Tough squads Iceland (0-0-1, 1 point) and Finland (0-0-1, 1 point) are scheduled to square off with one another in the second round of Group I competitions in the 2018 FIFA World Cup UEFA qualifiers at the Laugardalsvöllur in the Icelandic capital city of Reykjavík on Thursday, Oct. 6.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 6:45 p.m. UTC+0. It can be viewed live online thru Online Thru FuboTV.
Iceland and Finland were both held to drawn matches in their respective tournament openers on Sep. 6 and the two squads will gun for their first victory against each other to boost their chances in the World Cup qualifiers.
Strákarnir okkar, currently ranked 27th in the world by FIFA, was held to a 1-1 draw by 29th-ranked Ukraine at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev in their opener, as per ESPN.
Head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson's side was able to score the opening goal of the match right at the fifth minute with a shot from Augsburg striker Alfred Finnbogason in a one-on-one move against Ukraine goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov.
However, the hosts found the equalizer within the half with a goal from Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko four minutes before the halftime break.
Both teams went scoreless in the second half to settle for the tie and a share of a point in the group's overall standings.
Meanwhile, 84th-ranked Finland also settled to a disappointing 1-1 stalemate with 168th-ranked Kosovo at their own home turf of Veritas Stadion in Turku during their own opening game, Reuters reported.
Finland was able to start strong and net the opening goal at the 18th minute as defender Paulus Arajuuri directed the cross of teammate Thomas Lam toward the net and past the outstretched arms of Kosovo shot stopper Samir Ujkani.
It looked like a won game for head coach Hans Backe's squad, but the Dardanians were able to level the count right at the hour mark with a penalty kick from midfielder Valon Berisha.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a 2-0 romp for Iceland.
Iceland starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Halldorsson; Saevarsson, Arnason, R. Sigurdsson, Skulason; Gudmundsson, Gunnarsson, G. Sigurdsson, Bjarnason; Finnbogason, Bodvarsson
Finland starting lineup (3-1-2-2-2 formation): Hradecky; Lam, Arajuuri, Moisander; Halsti; Raitala, Arkivuo; Lod, Eremenko; Pukki, Markkanen
