Iceland vs Romania

The two nations that have experienced identical fortunes from their opening three 2022 World Cup qualifying Group J matches (W1, L2) will meet at Laugardalsvöllur as Iceland take on Romania.

An overwhelming 4-1 away victory over Liechtenstein in their most recent World Cup qualifying fixture saw Iceland score 4+ goals in a competitive match for the first time since September 2013. However, back-to-back defeats by over 1.5 goals ‘to nil’ to begin this World Cup qualifying cycle already undermined Iceland’s hopes of reaching the final tournament for the second time in a row. Curiously, going back to June 2017, none of the hosts’ last 15 home fixtures across all competitions have ended as a draw (W8, L7), with 66.67% of the games won/lost in that time seeing the winner on the day preserve a clean sheet. Even though they head into this clash having lost three of their last four competitive home encounters (W1), it’s worth noting that each of those defeats came at the hands of the nations ranked in the top-11 of the FIFA rankings.

In the meantime, Romania’s HT/FT home triumph over North Macedonia on Matchday 1 already looks like a remote memory, as they’ve lost both previous Group J matches by a single-goal margin. Romania’s World Cup qualifying action usually sparks into life beyond half-time, as evidenced by the fact that 81.82% of their 11 goals scored/conceded in the group so far arrived in the second half of play. Seeking their first World Cup finals appearance since 1998, the Romanians are desperate to halt a five-match winless streak away from home (D1, L4). A potential defeat here would see the ‘Tricolours’ lose five internationals in a row for the first time in the nation’s history. Since their most recent competitive trip to Iceland resulted in a loss, such a scenario is well within the realm of possibility.

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