Iceland vs Slovakia prediction 17.06.2023

• Competition: EURO 2024 Qualifiers
• Date: Saturday, 17th June 2023
• Kickoff: 19:45 UK / 20:45 CEST
• Venue: Laugardalsvöllur (Reykjavík)

Iceland had remarkable results not that long ago. They reached the Quarter-finals of the 2016 Euro and qualified for the World Cup in 2018, becoming the smallest nation ever to do so. But, in recent years, they haven't been as good. 

In the first round of EURO Qualifiers, Iceland started the competition poorly with a 3:0 loss against Bosnia and Herzegovina and then beat Liechtenstein by 7:0 in the second round. Currently, they are 4th in the group with three points, one fewer than 2nd-placed Slovakia. 

Slovakia had a very poor run in UEFA Nations League C not that long ago. They finished third in a group with Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Belarus with only seven points from six games. Subjectively, that is a group where they had to do a lot better. 

Slovakia started these EURO Qualifiers with four points from two matches and currently sits in 2nd place. 

Iceland vs Slovakia pick: Draw

In UEFA Nations League, Iceland played only four matches (because Russia was banned), and they drew all four times! They generally draw very often at home. In the previous nine home matches, they drew five times (55%). 

Slovakia should be a slightly better team, in my opinion, but I do not see them winning all three points on the road. Similarly to Iceland, Slovakia also often drew and did so in four of the last five matches. Their only win in those five matches was against Bosnia and Herzegovina (2:0). Still, according to xG statistics and other stats, a draw would probably be a fair result. In that match, Slovakia had 1.33 xG, while Bosnia had 1.17.

In the last h2h game in Iceland, we have seen a 1:1 draw.