#site_title #England vs. IcelandGareth Southgate will be looking for a strong performance from his England side.
- England have lost just one of their last 13 internationals.
- Iceland lost to Ukraine in the play-offs for the Euros
- Recommended bet: England -2 handicap

After a slow start, a much-changed England side finally clicked into gear to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-0 in their first warm-up match for the upcoming European Championship, and Gareth Southgate will be hoping for a more dominant performance against Iceland at Wembley on Friday.

Goals from Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Kane sealed victory at St James' Park on Monday night and a stronger starting XI is expected as Southgate looks to get his preferred starters clicking.

Iceland were knocked out of the playoffs by Ukraine after finishing fourth in qualifying, but the tiny Nordic nation have fond memories of facing England in recent meetings, having famously eliminated the Three Lions in the round of 16 at Euro 2016.

Team news

Luke Shaw is expected to remain on the sidelines as he continues to recover from injury, while Harry Maguire and Anthony Gordon are both close to returning from the treatment room.

However, many of Gareth Southgate's usual suspects will be on course for a return to the Wembley turf, with Kyle Walker, John Stones, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden all expected to feature.

This is Iceland's first match of the international break, so there are no injury concerns for boss Age Hareide.

Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Arnor Sigurdsson could both be favored for the Strakarnir Okkar as they ply their trade in England, while striker Andri Gudjohnsen - son of legendary Icelandic striker Eidur - could start up front.

The Stats

England have won three of their four all-time meetings with Iceland, including a 5-0 aggregate win in the two matches in the 2020 Nations League.

The Three Lions have lost just one of their last nine home matches.

Iceland have lost six of their last 10 away matches, including a 3-0 defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in March 2023.

England conceded just four goals in qualifying, a tally bettered only by Portugal (2) and France (3).

Prediction

With a near-full-strength squad expected to be named by Gareth Southgate, as well as playing at Wembley, England will be expected to comfortably see off an Iceland side still smarting from their play-off heartbreak.

England enter the tournament as favorites, with an abundance of attacking quality and depth in their squad, and will be looking to go into Germany with as much confidence and momentum as possible.

Iceland have a tendency to open up on the road after conceding a goal, with the Nordic nation picking the ball out of their own net on at least two occasions in each of their last six away defeats.

Should the Three Lions get on the scoresheet, they could kick on and double or triple their reward and run away with the game at Wembley. A winner in the two-goal handicap market for England looks like a tempting proposition.

Back England, 0-2 3-way handicap