France will face Iceland at Stade de France in Paris – Saint-Denis, in UEFA Europe 2020 Qualification 2nd Round. France against Iceland is the match with big interest because of great National squads and great perspectives in Qualification. Review our thoughts on this match here below.
Group H
1. France
2. Turkey
3. Moldova
4. Albania
5. Iceland
6. Andorra
France
FIFA Rating – 2
France, of course, in qualifying for Euro 2020 is the main favorite to win first place and compete for the highest places in the Euro tournament. The head coach Didier Deschamps copes well with the work, the team plays good football, plays consistently, and most importantly, show super results. They won the World Cup in 2018 and now they settled the championship in Europe. France has an incredibly well-developed junior academy, as we can find the great level of young players in absolutely any country, especially at the highest level clubs.
Didier Deschamps won the World Cup in the 1998 year, exactly 20 years ago as a player. therefore, the victory was very symbolic and important for him now. In addition to him, the team had star players such as Zinedine Zidane, Marcel Desailly, Lillian Thuram and many other legends. Now the generation changed very strongly, and see in football world known players like Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, N’Golo Kante, Kylian Mbappe, which we will remember many times after 20 years.
Head Coach
Didier Deschamps
Squad
Goalkeepers
Alphonse Areola; Hugo Lloris; Steve Mandanda;
Defenders
Lucas Digne; Presnel Kimpembe; Layvin Kurzawa; Benjamin Pavard; Djibril Sidibe; Raphael Varane; Samuel Umtiti; Kurt Zouma;
Midfielders
N’Golo Kante; Blaise Matuidi; Tanguy Ndombele; Paul Pogba; Moussa Sissoko;
Forwards
Kingsley Coman; Nabil Fekir; Olivier Giroud; Antoine Griezmann; Anthony Martial; Kylian Mbappe; Florian Thauvin;
Iceland
FIFA Rating – 38
Iceland had a great performance 3 years ago in Europe Championship when they played in Quarter-final against the same opponent. They kicked England out from the tournament and became underdogs and the biggest surprise of the Euro 2016. After that, they played strongly in World Cup qualification and took the first place in a group where they showed their superiority against Croatia, Ukraine, and Turkey. Almost immediately after qualifying, their form began to fall, and we still did not see the real Iceland team, which raised stadiums and fought every second of the game. Unfortunately, the team still can not get out of the pit and get rid of the crisis of victories.
The team has played 15 games in one year and has not won a single game, moreover, they lost 9 times and played 6 matches in a draw. After a great performance in Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018 qualification, they got a chance to compare the strength in the UEFA Nations League. As a result, they took the last place with 4 losses. Moreover, they scored once and conceded 13 goals against Switzerland and Belgium in total. The team has experienced and skillful players, but apparently the problem is elsewhere, and it must be urgently fixed in order to regain the glory and former form.
Head Coach
Erik Hamren
Squad
Goalkeepers
Hannes Þór Halldórsson; Ögmundur Kristinsson; Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson;
Defenders
Birkir Már Sævarsson; Ragnar Sigurðsson; Kári Árnason; Ari Freyr Skúlason; Sverrir Ingi Ingason; Hörður Björgvin Magnússon; Jón Guðni Fjóluson; Hjörtur Hermannsson;
Midfielders
Aron Gunnarsson; Birkir Bjarnason; Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson; Gylfi Sigurðsson; Rúrik Gíslason; Arnór Ingvi Traustason; Rúnar Már Sigurjónsson; Victor Pálsson; Arnór Sigurðsson;
Strikers
Albert Guðmundsson; Björn Bergmann Sigurðarson; Alfreð Finnbogason;
H2H
These teams met in Euro 2016 in a Friendly match in the year 2018. France was the team that kicked Iceland out of the Championship in the year 2016 by winning with 5:2 result. Then the Icelanders played their best football, and their form cannot be compared with the present. However, in the year 2018, they met in Friendly International match and finished with 2:2 result. Moreover, France made a comeback scoring 2 goals in the last match minutes.
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