Montenegro vs Iceland Prediction: Visitors to secure a huge three points

Montenegro welcome Iceland to Gradski Stadion Niksic on Saturday (17:00) in the Uefa Nations League, knowing that their promotion chances are over. The hosts have lost all four of their fixtures to date, so all they can do now is try and make sure they don't finish fourth and experience relegation to League C.

Iceland still have a shot at making the promotion/relegation play-offs, but they need a healthy return from their next two fixtures for that to happen. They have four points so far but their only win did come against the hosts, so they will be hoping for some more joy here. Read on for my Montenegro vs Iceland prediction, including match odds and team news.

Montenegro vs Iceland Odds

Montenegro are 6/4, or a 40% chance to win this fixture. Iceland are valued at 15/8 to take the three points, giving them an implied probability of 34.8%. The draw is marketed at 11/5 (31.3%).

Both teams to score can be backed at 5/6 and over 2.5 goals is on offer at 6/5.

Iceland striker Orri Oskarsson has netted twice in the Nations League so far, and one of them came against Montenegro in the 2-0 reverse back in September. He is 8/1 to open the scoring again, or 16/5 to score anytime on Saturday.

Football Odds

Team News

Montenegro have no fresh call-ups for the November camp but they have welcomed back midfielders Stefan Loncar and Milos Brnovic, and they will be competing against Marko Bakic and Marko Janovic for spots in the engine room.

Veteran forward Stevan Jovetic is five appearances away from becoming his country's most-capped player in history, so he will be desperate to play a part on Saturday, although he was dropped to the bench in the 1-0 defeat to Wales last time out.

Stefan Mugosa led the line that day, and he will be hoping to keep his place in the side for the visit of Iceland. Preston North End attacker Milutin Osmajic has been omitted from the latest squad as a result of his eight-game domestic ban, which he received for biting Blackburn Rovers' Owen Beck back in September.

For Iceland, they have welcomed back the experienced defender Aron Gunnarson to the squad for the first time in a year. The former Cardiff City man will be looking to add to his 103 caps for his country against Montenegro this weekend, with which he brings an abundance of experience. Former Everton and Swansea City midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has lost his place in the squad for this camp.

Oskarsson and Andri Gudjohnsen look set to partner each other up front after both were on the scoresheet in the 4-2 defeat to Turkey last time out. Ex-Burnley man Johann Berg Gudmundsson should continue in his newfound midfield role, alongside Arnor Trautason.

Birmingham City duo Alfons Sampsted and Willum Willumsson will be hoping for recalls, particularly the latter, who has been dazzling in League 1 this season for the Blues.

His brother, Brynjolfur Willumsson, will also be looking for a run out in this match, but he will find it difficult to dislodge the two main strikers at the moment with the way they have been performing.

Iceland to win @ 15/8

There is a lot riding on this match as both teams need to win but for very different reasons. Montenegro need to win to put pressure on the visitors in their bid to avoid relegation to League C, while Iceland need the victory to give them a chance of entering the play-offs.

The visitors will head here with a psychological advantage, having beaten Montenegro 2-0 on home soil already in this edition of the Nations League. But as their only win to date, they've left themselves a huge task to complete in the final phase of fixtures, and they cannot afford to drop points.

Ahead of their crunch clash with Wales on Tuesday, they need to head into that match with confidence, which will be gained by a victory here. They will be hoping for group leaders Turkey to do them a favour against the Dragons, but they must do their part in Montenegro.

They have the players to make a difference in this contest, notably the forwards, and they should be able to profit from the hosts' lack of confidence as a result of four defeats on the bounce.

Willum Willumsson anytime goalscorer @ 5/1

I'll admit this is a brave selection because he isn't guaranteed to start and he is yet to score his first senior goal for his country. However, as a Birmingham fan, I've been hugely impressed with this man's performances so far this season, even if it is at League 1 level.

There is no doubt in my mind that Willumsson can easily play at a higher level. He most certainly is capable of thriving in the Championship, and I think he has the potential to grow into a Premier League player too.

The towering midfielder has been one of the standout players for Birmingham this season and his 12 goal involvements across all competitions are proof of that. His latest came via an assist for Jay Stansfield against Northampton Town last weekend, while he heads into this international break with three goals and five assists in his last six outings for the Blues.

He will be feeling confident ahead of these two important matches for his country and he will be eager to make an impact, whether that be from the bench or the starting lineup. This confidence has been seen in a clip from training as he dispatched a wonderful effort into the top corner of the net from outside the box.

The 26-year-old has made 13 appearances for Iceland so far, so it feels like now would be a good time to land his first goal at senior level, and I think 5/1 offers value for that to happen.

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