UEFA.com works better on other browsers
For the best possible experience, we recommend using Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Iceland v Latvia background

Iceland are already making plans for their first ever major finals tournament as they welcome Latvia in their final UEFA EURO 2016 Group A home qualifier.

Preview: European qualifiers on 10 October ©AFP/Getty Images

For all the right reasons, Iceland have nothing to play for as they welcome UEFA EURO 2004 contenders Latvia in their final UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying home game.

• Iceland have already qualified for UEFA EURO 2016, which will be their first major international tournament.

• Latvia can no longer make it to the finals.

Previous meetings
• Iceland scored three goals in the final 25 minutes to record a 3-0 win in Latvia in the sides' first Group A meeting.

• In their only previous competitive meetings, in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008, Jurijs Andrejevs's Latvia beat Eyjólfur Sverrisson's men 4-0 in Riga on 7 October 2006 and – with Aleksandrs Starkovs reinstalled as coach – won the return fixture in Iceland 4-2 on 13 October 2007.

Form guide
• Iceland have lost only once in their eight Group A games (W6 D1 L1) and have conceded just three goals in the section. They kept clean sheets in their last two qualifiers.

• Iceland are unbeaten in seven competitive home games (W5 D2) stretching back to a 4-2 loss to Slovenia on 7 June 2013.

• Latvia are without a win in 11 competitive games (D5 L6) since a 2-1 win against Lithuania on 6 June 2013.

• Latvia picked up three of their four Group A points in their away games (D3 L1) but have not won in ten competitive away fixtures (D4 L6) since a 1-0 success in Georgia on 2 September 2011.

Disciplinary
• Aron Gunnarsson serves a one-match ban against Latvia; Kolbeinn Sigthórsson and Ari Skúlason are within a booking of a suspension.

• Kaspars Gorkšs, Valērijs Šabala, Eduards Višņakovs and Artūrs Zjuzins will incur a ban with their next bookings.

Trivia and links
• Iceland midfielder Emil Hallfredsson can make his 50th international appearance in the Latvia game.

• In the four UEFA meetings between the nations' clubs, the Latvian and Icelandic sides are equal on two wins each.

• The nations' four meetings in UEFA age-group competitions have slightly favoured Iceland, whose record is W2 D1 L1, though the Latvian win (at Under-19 level) and the draw (U17) were the two most recent fixtures.

• Iceland coach Lars Lagerbäck took on Latvia four times during the time that he and Tommy Söderberg were joint coaches of Sweden, with the record W2 D1 L1. Latvia coach Marians Pahars was involved in all of those games except the Latvian victory.

 

Selected for you