Euro 2016: England v/s Iceland preview - Can first-timers Iceland create history?

For England it should be a routine assignment against a rank outsider ahead of bigger tests while for Iceland it is the pinnacle of the country's sporting history, which makes Monday's round of 16 clash a mouth-watering prospect. 

For Iceland, whose population of 330,000 makes them the smallest country to have qualified for a major tournament, the game in the Mediterranean city of Nice brings the chance to score one of the biggest upsets in football history. For England -- haunted by 50 years of hurt since their 1966 World Cup triumph -- and their under-pressure manager Hodgson, it represents the wobbliest of tightropes. 

With the focus being on Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy's inability to fire in front of goal for England, it is skipper Rooney who the Iceland midfield and defence will have to keep a close eye on. The Manchester United player will be seen making those runs deep from midfield hoping to bring others into play. Sigurdsson, the only player in the Iceland team playing in the Premier League will hope he makes sure Rooney doesn't see much of the ball.

"I am not even contemplating going out to Iceland. Then after the game we will either be heavily criticised as we haven't won it or with any luck, if we played well and won the game, people will maybe say we did well," said - Roy Hodgson, England manager.

Iceland assistant coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, said, "I would guess that in the mind of the people in England, it is only a game to lose. For the people of Iceland, this game is not seen in that way. I wouldn't want to be Roy Hodgson if he lost to Iceland."

Match timing: 12.30 am, June 27

Where to watch: Sony Six, Sony ESPN and live streaming

Stat Attack

Unbeaten in six matches coming into this game, Roy Hodgson's side won all ten UEFA EURO 2016 qualifiers – just the sixth team to achieve the feat after France (1992, 2004), Czech Republic (2000), Germany and Spain (both 2012).

Did you know?
England first met Iceland in a warm-up game for the 1982 FIFA World Cup, drawing 1-1 in Reykjavik. The only other encounter took place at the City of Manchester Stadium in a pre-UEFA EURO 2004 friendly, with England running out 6-1 victors as Wayne Rooney and Darius Vassell both hit doubles.

Predicted XI

England: J Hart, D Rose, C Smalling, G Cahill, K Walker, E Dier, A Lallana, D Alli, W Rooney, H Kane, D Sturridge

Iceland: H Halldorsson, B Saevarsson, K Arnason, R Sigurdsson, A Skulason, E Bjarnason, A Gunnarsson, G Sigurdsson, J Gudmundsson, K Sithtorsson, J Bodvarsson

Deadly duel

Wayne Rooney (England)
Age: 30
Caps: 114
Goals: 52

Gylfi Sigurdsson (Iceland)
Age: 26
Caps: 42
Goals: 14

Manager Talk

Roy Hodgson, England

"I am not even contemplating going out to Iceland," Hodgson told reporters in Chantilly, north of Paris, prior to the game. "As far as I'm concerned, I will prepare the team for Iceland and we will do the best we can to win the game. "Then after the game we will either be heavily criticised as we haven't won it or with any luck, if we played well and won the game, people will maybe say we did well."

Roundly criticised for making six changes to his starting XI against Slovakia, Hodgson is expected to restore captain Wayne Rooney, Dele Alli, Kyle Walker and Danny Rose to his line-up.
But his attacking configuration remains problematic. Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling disappointed in England's first two games, but Sturridge and Jamie Vardy, decisive against Wales, failed to impress against Slovakia. 

"I would guess that in the mind of the people in England, it is only a game to lose," said co-coach Heimir Hallgrimsson. "For the people of Iceland, this game is not seen in that way. I wouldn't want to be Roy Hodgson if he lost to Iceland." 

Heimir Hallgrimsson, Iceland

Iceland joint-coach Heimir Hallgrimsson  compared his team to an army. "We are too few to have an army. We will be probably easily be defeated if we go to war - like in manpower. So these guys are the Icelandic army," Hallgrimsson told reporters. 

"And that's why everybody is supporting them, you probably can correlate that to having an army." Iceland is one of the few countries without an army although it is a member of the NATO alliance.  "This game is a win-win game. They've already won the hearts of all Icelanders for their perfomance. I think with a good performance against England they will always be winners," said Hallgrimsson, who is in joint charge with Swede Lars Lagerback. 

"If they beat England, their lives and all of our lives will change, Icelandic football's reputation will go up and the way we will approach football will be different."