Iceland v Wales Tips: Back in-form Johnson to star in 17/2 Bet Builder

• Wales have a win and a draw under new boss Bellamy

• Brennan Johnson has scored in his last six club matches

• The card count has been high under Bellamy

Iceland v Wales
Friday 11 October, 19:45
Live on S4C, Premier Player & S4C Online

Iceland inconsistent

It's been a mixed start so far for Iceland in the Nations League. Age Haride's team scored a home win in their opener when beating Montenegro 2-0 before losing 3-1 away to Turkey.

That continues a sequence of alternating wins and losses although one of the victories came at Wembley as Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson's goal stunned England in their final warm-up before Euro 2024.

Iceland followed that with a 4-0 away defeat to the Netherlands three days later so it's fair to say that they can be a hard team to get a grip on.

Bellamy's bright start with Wales

It felt like Wales needed a new start with the Robert Page era running out of gas. And the introduction of former frontman Craig Bellamy as new boss has certainly had an invigorating effect.

The Dragons were energetic if not exactly fluid or clinical in a 0-0 home draw with Turkey before they burst out of the blocks with two very early strikes before winning 2-1 away to Montenegro.

That ended a run of four winless matches and indeed four games without a goal. There were two stalemates in there, the other goalless draw coming away to minnows Gibraltar, one of the results that did for Page.

The 0-0 here by the way is 11/26.50. For the record, Iceland haven't had one of those in any of their last 21 internationals.

Wales slight favourites

As you'd probably expect given recent results, Wales are favourites. But the betting is fairly close though.

The market shows Wales at 6/42.50, Iceland at 7/42.75 and The Draw a tighter than normal 15/82.88.

For context, Wales were 5/42.25 ahead of their 2-1 win in Montenegro, who were ranked 73rd in the FIFA World Rankings at the time. Iceland are currently 71st so, in theory, this is a similar test.

Red-hot Johnson must be followed

In the past, games likes this would be made for some sort of Gareth Bale-based Bet Builder.

Wales may have to wait a long, long time for a world-class talent like him to emerge again but there are some bright young stars in the Welsh camp and one of them is on a roll.

The man in question is Brennan Johnson, who has scored in each of his last six games for Tottenham.

Four of those were on the road - Brighton, Ferencvaros, Manchester United and Coventry - so he clearly enjoys that extra bit of space away from home.

Johnson scored in back-to-back Nations League games in the 2022 campaign, a 26th-minute strike in a 3-2 defeat against the Netherlands in Rotterdam and a late 86th-minute equaliser at home to Belgium.

Bellamy is a big fan of his so why not strike when the iron's hot and back Johnson to make his mark once more with another goal.

Card count could be high

Cards have also been a feature of Bellamy's two games in charge of Wales - perhaps a reflection of his terrier-like attitude as a player.

There were six yellows and a red in the 0-0 v Turkey and another half-dozen bookings in Montenegro.

As for Iceland, there were six in their last home game (Montenegro).

I'm expecting cards here and Over 5.5 is 17/102.70.

Combine that with a Johnson goal and we get a Bet Builder of around 17/29.50.

Now read Ste Tudor's England v Greece piece with four players to back!