From the start of 2024, Iceland have only failed to score in one of eight international fixtures, that being a 4-0 away setback to Netherlands in June. They have managed to defeat the respective goalkeepers of England, Turkey and Ukraine in this time, too.

Since Åge Hareide was appointed as their national coach they’ve faced a range of opponents in terms of scale of quality. However, the fact is they’ve conceded in 10 of those 15 fixtures, with some of their clean sheets coming against the likes of Lichtenstein and Guatemala.

As for Wales, this will be their third match under the management of Craig Bellamy and are seeking to make it three unbeaten. Within these they’ve averaged an xGF of 1.91 and an xGA of 1.68, which demonstrates an ability to create chances but something of a vulnerability defensively early in his tenure.

Something that has been instilled into the DNA of Wales for a number of years now is simply being very hard to beat. This was certainly the case under previous manager Rob Page, who was at the helm for four years, and Bellamy won’t want to lose this attribute under his stewardship.

From the beginning of September 2023, The Dragons have suffered only one defeat out of a possible 12 inside 90 minutes. Even going back further they’ve generally been competitive in matches. From the start of June 2021, only three times have they lost by a two-goal margin or greater, those coming against France, Turkey and Slovakia.

They will expect a positive result when taking on Iceland, who although deserve respect they aren’t the most consistent of outfits. This team is basically all-or-nothing considering none of their previous 11 have ended as a draw. Over this time, they’ve won six and lost five, with only one of those victories being classed as convincing (4-1 v Israel).

Wales are a team that has been built on a foundation of being hard to beat. Even during their high days when Gareth Bale was in the team they weren’t necessarily a forward-thinking outfit that created chance after chance. Craig Bellamy wants this to change over time, but it won’t be easy. Therefore, they should experience some teething problems trying to change style of play.

Some early signs have been apparent in Bellamy’s two matches at the helm so far, despite not losing either. They faced a Turkey side with ten men for long spells, plus they edged out Montenegro away despite being quite fortunate to do so. Wales have conceded an average of 3.00 shots on target over this brief period, which gives Iceland hope of making a game of this.

On the flip side, Iceland averaged 3.00 shots on target over their current UEFA Nations League campaign. They are ultimately the home side here and will naturally be wanting a positive outcome. Wales are certainly a beatable opponent and Iceland being unbeaten in four at home suggests a confidence approach will be taken.

This is a game that Iceland and Wales will both be looking to win. A draw would be deemed as points dropped in their quest to finish in the top-two of this group. It is the mentality they have to view all of their matches outside of facing expectant group winners Turkey. A fast start naturally boosts chances of getting that desired outcome.

Iceland are on a six-match streak whereby a first-half goal was scored, for or against. Ironically, they netted a goal inside the opening 45 minutes in the last two matches in which they have lost, but the same applies when scoring in this time within their previous three wins.

Taking Wales into account, a first-half goal has been recorded in seven of their previous 11 encounters. Interestingly, they have shown a habit of firing in early goals themselves in this period. Within this cycle of games, the Welshman have scored four goals inside the first ten minutes, two of which came in their last match when defeating Montenegro 2-1.

It is simply impossible to not pay attention to the form of Brennan Johnson right now, albeit at club level. The Tottenham winger is on a six-game scoring streak for his Premier League side in all competitions and will surely be confident of transforming that onto the international scene.

The 23-year-old Tottenham player only recently became a regular starter for Wales. However, the fact he has recorded a total of 11 shots over the last six international encounters in which he has started shows he is beginning to be a more frequent goal threat for his national team.

Something that will afford hope to the former Nottingham Forest man is the sheer amount of pressure Iceland seemingly invite on their own goal. Over their previous five fixtures, the opposition has averaged 15.80 shots per match. This means Johnson should at the very least expect to fire some shots on goal and he needs no second invitation give his recent hot streak.

Jon Thorsteinsson has started seven of Iceland’s previous eight international fixtures and is very much a key player in Hareide’s setup. Over the course of this period he averaged 1.34 shots on target per game. Those six shots that hit the target came from a total of ten shots, which suggests that when he does indeed fire in an attempt it works the goalkeeper more often than not.

The fact he has actually netted two goals over the last four Iceland matches suggests he is one of the more reliable options they have in the final third. He can therefore expect to see plenty of the ball in this home encounter. Even taking his club record into account this season, he is averaging exactly 1.00 shot per game for Hertha Berlin, despite not being a regular starter.

The former Premier League regular is looking to rebuild his career in his native homeland with top-flight club Valur. The 35-year-old has 10 goals across his 17 appearances for them, and although he hasn’t played for the last few weeks, that will ensure he is fully prepared to make an impact for his country.

Sigurdsson returned to the international scene a year ago and has earned four international caps in that time. He looks to have been allocated the attacking midfielder number 10 role, which will naturally increase his chances of getting shots away. This has become apparent as over the course of those encounters, Sigurdsson is averaging 2.00 shots per game.

Kieffer Moore has developed something of a reputation over his career as being a rather physical and combative centre forward. Scoring goals is not the only part of his game.

He acts as a target man to try and bring others into the game, and given his size and frame he does regularly concede fouls. It is something of an occupational hazard for a player such as him. Typical fouls committed could be on aerial duels and the match-up with Iceland here means such scenarios should be frequent.

His reputation is backed up by the facts and figures. In Craig Bellamy’s two matches as Wales’s manager, Moore conceded a foul in each of them, despite starting once as sub. Based on his club form for Sheffield United alongside international duties in 2024/25, the striker has committed 12 fouls over 11 appearances. This works out as an average of 1.09 per game.