Iceland vs Germany

High-flying Germany head to Laugardalsvöllur to take on underperforming Iceland, looking to solidify their household status in 2022 World Cup qualifying Group J.
Despite pulling off late heroics to come from a 2-0 deficit to a 2-2 home stalemate with North Macedonia at the weekend, all but victory could effectively kick Iceland out of the race for Qatar 2022. Indeed, except for a 4-1 away triumph over minnows Liechtenstein on Matchday 3, Arnar Viðarsson’s men have failed to win any of their remaining four Group J fixtures (D1, L3), with each of those defeats coming by over 1.5 goals ‘to nil.’ Trailing second-placed Armenia by a whopping six points, Iceland will have to defy their dreadful H2H record against Germany to keep their hopes of progressing to the final tournament alive. The ‘Our Boys’ have failed to get on the scoresheet in all five competitive meetings with this opposition (D1, L4), losing the last two by the same 3-0 scoreline.

Meanwhile, Germany’s decision to sack long-serving head coach Joachim Low in favor of Hansi Flick in the wake of a dismal Euro 2020 campaign has turned out to be a massive success. The ex-Bayern Munich manager has restored ‘Die Mannschaft’ at the summit, overcoming the likes of Liechtenstein and Armenia by an aggregate score of 8-0 in his first two matches in charge. Another victory here may well warrant a clean sheet, considering each of Germany’s four triumphs in the ongoing World Cup qualifying campaign arrived ‘to nil.’ By extension, five of Germany’s seven wins in away internationals since the beginning of 2019 have been accompanied by a shutout. Depending on other results, the Germans could extend their lead at the summit to five points and move a step closer towards qualifying for their 18th consecutive World Cup finals.