EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS - 2016/18 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Loro Boriçi Stadium - Shkoder Friday 24 March 2017 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Kosovo Group I - Matchday 5 Iceland Last updated 24/03/2017 12:32CET EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS OFFICIAL SPONSORS Previous meetings 2 Squad list 3 Head coach 5 Match officials 6 Competition facts 7 Match-by-match lineups 8 Team facts 10 Legend 11 1 Kosovo - Iceland Friday 24 March 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkoder Previous meetings Head to Head No UEFA competition matches have been played between these two teams 2 Kosovo - Iceland Friday 24 March 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkoder Squad list Kosovo Current season Qual. FT No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Adis Nurković 28/04/1986 30 Travnik - 0 0 0 0 - Samir Ujkani 05/07/1988 28 Pisa - 4 0 0 0 - Bledar Hajdini 19/06/1995 21 Trepça’89 - 0 0 0 0 Defenders - Benjamin Kololli 15/05/1992 24 Lausanne - 1 0 0 0 Lokomotiva - Amir Rrahmani 24/02/1994 23 * 3 0 0 0 Zagreb Slaven - Fidan Aliti 03/10/1993 23 - 0 0 0 0 Koprivnica - Mergim Vojvoda 01/02/1995 22 Mouscron - 0 0 0 0 - Ardian Ismajli 30/09/1996 20 Hajduk Split - 0 0 0 0 - Alban Pnishi 20/10/1990 26 Grasshoppers - 4 0 0 0 - Leart Paqarada 08/10/1994 22 Sandhausen - 3 0 0 0 Midfielders 1860 - Fanol Perdedaj 16/07/1991 25 - 4 0 0 0 München - Valon Berisha 07/02/1993 24 Salzburg * 4 1 0 0 - Hekuran Kryeziu 12/02/1993 24 Luzern - 3 0 0 0 - Arber Zeneli 25/02/1995 22 Heerenveen - 3 0 0 0 - Bersant Celina 09/09/1996 20 Twente - 2 0 0 0 - Herolind Shala 01/02/1992 25 Kasımpaşa - 3 0 0 0 - Vedat Muriqi 24/04/1994 22 Gençlerbirliği - 2 0 0 0 Forwards Melbourne - Besart Berisha 29/07/1985 31 - 0 0 0 0 Victory Sheff. - Atdhe Nuhiu 29/07/1989 27 - 0 0 0 0 Wednesday - Elbasan Rashani 09/05/1993 23 Rosenborg - 0 0 0 0 - Donis Avdijaj 25/08/1996 20 Schalke - 0 0 0 0 - Milot Rashica 28/06/1996 20 Vitesse - 4 0 0 0 - Bernard Berisha 24/10/1991 25 Terek * 3 0 0 0 Coach - Albert Bunjaki 18/06/1971 45 - 4 0 0 0 3 Kosovo - Iceland Friday 24 March 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkoder Iceland Current season Qual. FT No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Hannes Halldórsson 27/04/1984 32 Randers - 3 0 0 0 - Ögmundur Kristinsson 19/06/1989 27 Hammarby - 1 0 0 0 - Ingvar Jónsson 18/10/1989 27 Sandefjord - 0 0 0 0 Defenders - Ragnar Sigurdsson 19/06/1986 30 Fulham - 4 1 0 0 - Ari Skúlason 14/05/1987 29 Lokeren - 3 0 0 0 - Birkir Sævarsson 11/11/1984 32 Hammarby - 4 0 0 0 - Hólmar Eyjólfsson 06/08/1990 26 M. Haifa - 0 0 0 0 - Hordur Magnússon 11/02/1993 24 Bristol City - 3 0 0 0 - Sverrir Ingason 05/08/1993 23 Granada - 0 0 0 0 - Aron Sigurdarson 08/10/1993 23 Tromsø - 0 0 0 0 - Viðar Ari Jónsson 10/03/1994 23 Brann - 0 0 0 0 Midfielders - Ólafur Skúlason 01/04/1983 33 Karabükspor - 0 0 0 0 - Emil Hallfredsson 29/06/1984 32 Udinese - 1 0 0 0 - Rúrik Gíslason 25/02/1988 29 Nürnberg - 0 0 0 0 - Kári Árnason 13/10/1982 34 Omonia * 4 1 0 0 - Aron Gunnarsson 22/04/1989 27 Cardiff - 3 0 0 0 - Gylfi Sigurdsson 08/09/1989 27 Swansea - 4 0 0 0 - Arnór Ingvi Traustason 30/04/1993 23 Rapid Wien - 2 0 0 0 Forwards - Vidar Orn Kjartansson 11/03/1990 27 M. Tel-Aviv - 3 0 0 0 - Björn Sigurdarsson 26/02/1991 26 Molde - 2 0 0 0 - Kjartan Henry Finnbogason 09/07/1986 30 Horsens - 0 0 0 0 - Jón Dadi Bödvarsson 25/05/1992 24 Wolves - 3 0 0 0 - Óttar Magnús Karlsson 21/02/1997 20 Molde - 0 0 0 0 Coach - Heimir Hallgrímsson 10/06/1967 49 - 4 0 0 0 4 Kosovo - Iceland Friday 24 March 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkoder Head coach Albert Bunjaki Date of birth: 18 June 1971 Nationality: Kosovan Playing career: FC Prishtina, Skövde, IFK/MBK Mariestad, Törboda IK, Torsö Hassle Coaching career: Torsö Hassle, Tidavad IK, Örebro Syrianska, Tidaholms GIF, Degerfors IF, Kalmar FF (assistant), Kosovo • Born in Pristina – then part of Yugoslavia – Bunjaki started his career with his local team and went on to spend much of his playing days in the Swedish lower leagues. • His coaching career followed a similar pattern, with his highest-profile appointment a stint at Degerfors in 2005; Bunjaki then spent two years as assistant coach at Kalmar between 2006 and 2007. • Appointed Kosovo coach in 2009, overseeing wins against Oman and Equatorial Guinea prior to a 2-0 defeat of the Faroe Islands in June 2016, their first match after being accepted into FIFA the previous month. Heimir Hallgrímsson Date of birth: 10 June 1967 Nationality: Icelandic Playing career: ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar (twice), Íþróttafélagið Höttur, KF Smástund Coaching career: Íþróttafélagið Höttur (women), ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar (women, twice), ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar (twice), Iceland (assistant), Iceland (joint coach), Iceland • Spent the majority of his playing career with ÍBV, who he represented between 1986 and 1992 and again from 1994 to 1996; he spent 1993 playing for Höttur, also managing their women's team. • Hallgrímsson – who combined his playing career with his part-time duties as a dentist – moved to Smástund in 1996 and continued to represent the club following their merger the following year with Framherjar, from his home town of Vestmannaeyjar. • Started coaching ÍBV's women's side in 1999 and was appointed assistant coach of the men's team three years later. Returned to the women's selection in 2003, staying for two years; took over as head coach of ÍBV's men's squad in 2006. • Stayed in that role until 2011; that October, following Lars Lagerbäck's appointment as Iceland coach, Hallgrímsson was named as his assistant. Promoted to the joint coaching role following the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, when Iceland lost in the play-offs to Croatia. • UEFA EURO 2016 was to be a competition to remember for Iceland, however, as they qualified for a first major finals from a section including the Czech Republic, Turkey and the Netherlands. Even better was to follow in France, Iceland remaining unbeaten to reach the knockout stages and then famously getting the better of England in the last 16 before a 5-2 defeat by the hosts in the last 16. Hallgrímsson took sole charge after the tournament. 5 Kosovo - Iceland Friday 24 March 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkoder Match officials Referee Artur Dias (POR) Assistant referees Rui Tavares (POR) , Paulo Soares (POR) Fourth official João Pinheiro (POR) FIFA Match Commissioner Wolfgang Thierrichter (AUT) Referee observer Jørn West Larsen (DEN) Referee Name Date of birth UEFA matches Artur Dias 14/07/1979 1 49 Artur Dias Referee since: 1996 First division: 2004 FIFA badge: 2010 Tournaments: 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, 2013 UEFA Regions' Cup, 2011 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Finals 2013 UEFA Regions' Cup FIFA Wold Cup matches involving teams from the two countries involved in this match No such matches refereed Other matches involving teams from either of the two countries involved in this match No such matches refereed 6 Kosovo - Iceland Friday 24 March 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkoder Competition facts The Week of Football concept enables fans around the world to enjoy the very best action from the European Qualifiers – which will determine UEFA's representatives at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup comprises nine groups of six teams, with matches played on a home-and- away basis. Qualifying takes place under the 'Week of Football' concept, introduced ahead of the UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying campaign, in which games are spread out from Thursday to Tuesday, shining the spotlight on more teams on the road to the finals in Russia. Moreover, thanks to the Week of Football, at least 43% of matches will be played on weekends, giving fans a better chance to follow the action on television, in the stadiums and on UEFA.com. Kick-off times will be set mainly at 18:00CET and 20:45CET on Saturdays and Sundays and at 20:45CET for Thursdays, Fridays, Mondays and Tuesdays. In double-header matchweeks, sides will play on Thursday/Sunday, Friday/Monday or Saturday/Tuesday. Each day of the Week of Football will feature eight to ten games. The nine group winners will qualify directly for the final tournament. The eight best runners-up will contest play-offs to decide the last four qualifiers for the finals. The 13 qualifiers then join hosts Russia in the finals to make it 14 UEFA member associations represented. How qualification works The other confederations have the following qualifying berths: Africa: 5 Asia: 4.5 North and Central America and Caribbean: 3.5 Oceania: 0.5 South America: 4.5 7 Kosovo - Iceland Friday 24 March 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkoder Match-by-match lineups Kosovo FIFA World Cup - Qualifying round Group I Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts Croatia 4 3 1 0 10 1 10 Ukraine 4 2 2 0 7 3 8 Iceland 4 2 1 1 6 5 7 Turkey 4 1 2 1 5 5 5 Finland 4 0 1 3 3 6 1 Kosovo 4 0 1 3 1 12 1 Matchday 1 (05/09/2016) Finland 1-1 Kosovo Goals: 1-0 Arajuuri 18, 1-1 V.