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Kosovo and Iceland go head-to-head at the Pristina City Stadium in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League playoffs on Thursday. Franco Foda’s men head into this crunch tie on a four-game winning streak and will be looking to keep the juggernaut rolling.
Muharrem Jashari’s fifth-minute strike was enough to fire Kosovo to a 1-0 victory over Lithuania on November 18 as they closed out their schedule for 2024 in flying form.
Foda’s side picked up four wins from their final four games in the Nations League, scoring 10 goals and keeping three clean sheets, finishing off the campaign with a 3-0 hammering against Romania in September.
This solid run of results saw Kosovo secure a shot at promotion into League B as they finished second in Group C2, three points off first-placed Romania in the automatic promotion spot.
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Iceland, on the other hand, endured a topsy-turvy Nations League campaign as they managed just two wins and lost three of their six matches in Group B4.
Age Hareide’s men picked up seven points from a possible 18 to finish third in the standings, four points above rock-bottom Montenegro in the automatic relegation spot.
However, Iceland will be backing themselves to retain their league status as they go up against an opposing side who have lost the previous two clashes between the two nations.
Kosovo vs Iceland Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the third-ever meeting between Kosovo and Iceland, with Hareide’s men claiming two wins from their last two encounters.
- They first met in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March 2017, when Iceland secured a 2-1 victory in Shkoder, seven months before completing the group double in a 2-0 home victory.
- Kosovo are unbeaten in seven of their most recent nine competitive matches, claiming six wins and one draw since October 2023.
- Iceland have managed just two of their last 10 outings in the Nations League while losing three and claiming five draws since June 2022.
Kosovo vs Iceland Prediction
Having lost the last two meetings between the nations, Kosovo will be looking to get one over Iceland and secure an early advantage over the visitors in their quest for promotion.
However, we predict Hareide’s men will do just enough to secure a share of the spoils, leaving it all to play for in next week’s return leg.
Prediction: Kosovo 1-1 Iceland
Kosovo vs Iceland Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Both sides to score - Yes (Both sides have scored in four of Iceland’s last five games)
Tip 3: Over 10.5 corners - No (There have also been fewer than 11 corner kicks in the visitors’ last five outings)
