European Qualifiers
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EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS - 2014/16 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Laugardalsvöllur - Reykjavik Saturday 10 October 2015 18.00CET (16.00 local time) Iceland Group A - Matchday 9 Latvia Last updated 10/10/2015 08:35CET EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS OFFICIAL SPONSORS Match background 2 Legend 3 1 Iceland - Latvia Saturday 10 October 2015 - 18.00CET (16.00 local time) Match press kit Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik Match background 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. 2 Iceland - Latvia Saturday 10 October 2015 - 18.00CET (16.00 local time) Match press kit Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik Legend :: Previous meetings Goals for/against: Goal totals include the outcome of disciplinary decisions (e.g. match forfeits when a 3-0 result is determined). Goals totals do not include goals scored during a penalty shoot-out after a tie ended in a draw :: Squad list Qual.: Total European Qualifiers appearances/goals for UEFA EURO 2016 only. FT: Total UEFA EURO 2016 appearances/goals in final tournament only. Overall: Total international appearances/goals. DoB: Date of birth Age: Based on the date press kit was last updated D: Disciplinary (*: misses next match if booked, S: suspended) :: Team facts EURO finals: The UEFA European Championship was a four-team event in 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976 (when the preliminary round and quarter-finals were considered part of qualifying). From 1980 it was expanded to an eight-team finals and remained in that format in 1984, 1988 and 1992 until 1996, when the 16-team format was adopted. UEFA EURO 2016 is the first tournament to be played as a 24-team finals. Records of inactive countries A number of UEFA associations have been affected by dissolution or splits of member associations. For statistical purposes, the records of these inactive countries have been allocated elsewhere: therefore, all Soviet Union matches are awarded to Russia; all West Germany – but not East Germany – matches are awarded to Germany; all Yugoslavia and Serbia & Montenegro matches are awarded to Serbia; all Czechoslovakia matches are allocated to both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Abandoned/forfeited matches For statisical purposes, when a match has been started and then abandoned but later forfeited, the result on the pitch at the time of abandonment is counted. Matches that never started and were either cancelled or forfeited are not included in the overall statistics. Competitions Other abbreviations (aet): After extra time pens: Penalties No.: Number og: Own goal ag: Match decided on away goals P: Penalty agg: Aggregate Pld: Matches played AP: Appearances Pos.: Position Comp.: Competition Pts: Points D: Drawn R: Sent off (straight red card) DoB: Date of birth Res.: Result ET: Extra Time sg: Match decided by silver goal GA: Goals against t: Match decided by toss of a coin GF: Goals for W: Won gg: Match decided by golden goal Y: Booked L: Lost Y/R: Sent off (two yellow cards) Nat.: Nationality N/A: Not applicable Disclaimer: Although UEFA has taken all reasonable care that the information contained within this document is accurate at the time of publication, no representation or guarantee (including liability towards third parties), expressed or implied, is made as to its accuracy, reliability or completeness. Therefore, UEFA assumes no liability for the use or interpretation of information contained herein. More information can be found in the competition regulations available on UEFA.com. 3.