UEFA World Cup Qualifiers: Iceland vs Ukraine - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

Ukraine make the long journey to Iceland on Saturday hoping to secure their first victory in Group D of the UEFA World Cup qualifiers. Both nations, having missed out on Qatar 2022, are desperate to book their place at next year’s summer showpiece.

Ukraine haven’t featured on football’s biggest stage since their impressive debut in 2006, while Iceland, quarter-finalists in their maiden campaign in 2018, have yet to return as well. 

Continue reading for our Iceland vs Ukraine tips from the best online sports betting sites.

Iceland

Iceland silenced the home crowd in Paris last month when Andri Gudjohnsen, son of former great Eidur Gudjohnsen, struck in the 21st minute to hand the visitors a shock lead at the Parc des Princes.

Kylian Mbappe and Bradley Barcola scored to turn the tie on its head, but 'Strakarnir okkar' pushed the two-time world champions till the end. Gudjohnsen thought he’d doubled his tally later on, until his effort was ruled out after a VAR check.

Iceland’s 5-0 rout of Azerbaijan in their opening match also puts them in a solid position heading into the Ukraine match, even though the best betting apps label them as underdogs.

Team News: Arnar Gunnlaugsson will be forced to reshuffle his lineup, with many key players - including captain Orri Oskarsson and defender Hjortur Hermannsson - sidelined by injury.

Predicted Lineup: Valdimarsson; Gunnarsson, Ingason, Palsson, Magnusson; Porsteinsson, Helgason; Haraldsson, Ellertsson, Gudmundsson; Gudjohnsen.

Ukraine

Ukraine fell to France in their opening match. To make matters worse, they were held to a 1-1 draw by a struggling Azerbaijan days later. 

Serhiy Rebrov’s men have taken just one win from their last five games. Most football betting experts expected them to snap that run against Azerbaijan, but Ukraine had a disappointing outing again.

Ukraine’s form on the road hasn’t been convincing either, with only two wins from their last five away matches.

Team News: Mykhailo Mudryk is unavailable for selection. The Chelsea winger is currently serving a suspension for a doping offence.

Predicted Lineup: Trubin; Konoplia, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Zinchenko; Kalyuzhnyi, Yarmolyuk, Sudakov; Zubkov, Dovbyk, Hutsuliak.

• This will be the fourth official meeting between Iceland and Ukraine. 
• Both sides have one win apiece, while the other match finished level.
• Iceland have won two of their last four home matches.

Football betting sites were not optimistic of Iceland’s chances when the UEFA World Cup qualifier draws were announced. They were going through a slump in recent years, so expectations were low before they played their first match against Azerbaijan. 

Gunnlaugsson’s men ran riot against the Eurasian side and held up their own against France. Les Bleus won in the end, but they were made to work hard for their 2-1 victory. 

The visitors may look stronger on paper, but lately the results haven’t been in their favour. They have produced two lifeless performances in the previous matches. Right now, we don’t see them beating a confident Iceland team. 

This should be a draw with both teams scoring.

Iceland 1-1 Ukraine @ $6.50

Iceland welcome Ukraine after winning two of their last four matches.They have scored nine goals within this period and have let only three goals in, two of which came against France in September. 

Ukraine haven’t looked particularly solid at the back recently — nine of their last 12 games have seen goals at both ends. While Iceland will miss Oskarsson, they still boast firepower in Gudjohnsen and Gudmundsson.

Ukraine don’t have the most menacing forward line in Europe, but their overlapping fullbacks can cause problems for the home team. 

So, we are backing this match to end 1-1, which is sweetly priced at $6 with Sportaza.