Iceland v Austria Betting Preview – Euro 2016, 10th June
Who would have expected Group F to be headed up by Hungary and followed by Iceland heading into the final round of matches? There is work for Austria to do here as they look to claw their way into the next round of the competition. This is their easiest game of the group but they haven’t been playing particularly well. Maybe their bid defensive effort against Portugal will have given them a lift, but Iceland could be hungry for a point that could see them through to the knockouts.
You can take 0-0 bore draw insurance on Iceland v Austria thanks to online betting site Bet365. Place a pre-match wager on any of the covered markets which are the first goalscorer, last goalscorer, anytime goalscorer, correct score, scorecast or half time/full time markets and if a bet loses because of the game ending 0-0 then you will get your lost stake refunded. Register an account with Bet365 and earn a 100% matched deposit bonus from them.
Iceland v Austria Betting Tips
Hats off still to Iceland who have earned themselves two points from their two group games. However, they aren’t in a position of power just yet because they are still at risk of missing out on the next stage. A draw here would only be enough if Portugal don’t beat Hungary. If that happens then Iceland will be in the top two. They can guarantee themselves a top two spot with a victory in this one of course. They so nearly beat Hungary in their second match at Euro 2016 going ahead in the game thanks to a converted penalty from Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson. If they draw this and Portugal do win, then Iceland would be down to third and then they run the gauntlet of being one of the best of the third placed finishers.
So with two gutsy performances so far from the tournament debutants, can they secure themselves three points in this one. They have scored in each of their last eleven matches played now, but they have also conceded in seven of their last eight games played. That should mean that there is value at even money in both teams to score in this one. So, while they have done a lot of work, particularly in their defensive display against Portugal in their opener, there’s still a big 90 minutes ahead for them. The last time these two nations met a 1-1 draw was played out. That was in an international friendly back in 2014. You can take a shot at a 1-1 correct score draw happening again at 6/1 which is the same quote as an Austria 1-0 correct score. So that scoreline could give Iceland belief as well as them having seen Austria not play well.
Austria went into Euro 2016 as a strong dark horse option for punters, but they really haven’t gotten out of the starting gate yet and they may have left it too late. They never quite matched up to the competitive Hungary side in their opener, going down to ten men and losing the game 2-0. Then they spent 90 minutes against Portugal in defensive mode, rode their luck which included Cristiano Ronaldo missing a penalty and managed to get a point on the board. That’s the kind of thing that can make a difference and build some confidence. Avoiding defeat in that Portugal game saw Austria in an elated mood and maybe they can kick on from there. The Austrians have gone W2 D1 L3 record in their last six games and while they haven’t scored a goal at Euro 2016 yet, they have Marc Janko at 7/4 with Marko Arnautovic up at 3/1 in the anytime goalscorer market. They have no choice but to target the win, can they switch to an attacking, positive mindset though?
Iceland v Austria Betting Odds
Austria evens, Draw 12/5, Iceland 11/4
Iceland v Austria Predictions
Austria knew that the point against Portugal was huge for them. Now they go into a game against a side which they are expected to beat and so there is a lifeline here for them. But as Iceland have shown, they are prepared to scrap and battle and work for everything that they get. They may just have enough to hold out against defeat again. Look for the draw.
