Dugout Discussion – England vs Iceland

England and Iceland go head-to-head at 8pm as the Euro 2016 Round of 16 comes to an end.

Both sides were runners-up in their respective groups on the back of a win and two draws apiece, though there’s no question that the underlying stats are in favour of the Three Lions.

Given that Iceland have averaged just 28.3% possession so far, it’s fair to say that their opponents will be expected to dominate proceedings as the Scandinavians sit deep. As we saw against Slovakia, though, Roy Hodson’s side have toiled to break down obstinate opponents – they registered 29 unsuccessful attempts in their goalless draw against Slovakia.

England produced almost three times the number of attempts on goal (64 to 23) than their opponents over the group stages, though despite a wealth of options in the final third, currently lack a cutting edge and have scored just three times so far.

Iceland have found the net on more occasions (four) but given they’ve managed just nine shots on target, it remains to be seen if they can maintain a lofty 17.4% goal conversion rate – the highest in the tournament.

At the back, England again have reason for optimism. Hodgson’s men allowed a single big chance against in the group stages – less than any other side – and conceded just 11 efforts inside the box.

Iceland, on the other hand, have afforded the opposition 25 efforts in the penalty area, which bodes well for the Three Lions’ chances of grabbing the win that would see them square up to tournament favourites France in the quarter-final stage next time out.