The Icelandic men’s national football team meets Croatia tomorrow in a qualifying game for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Russia, RÚV reports.
The two teams are now at the top of group I, with seven points each. The game takes place in Zagreb, Croatia, at 5 pm Icelandic time.
Croatian midfielder Milan Badelj told reporters, “We have a lot of respect for Iceland, especially after their success at the EURO 2016 in the summer. Our only advantage lies in [being able to play in] our home field, unfortunately in an empty stadium, and we must win the game.”
The reason the stadium will be empty is that in June of last year, in a preliminary game for the EURO 2016 against Italy, lines in the shape of a swastika could be seen in the Croatian football field, according to Vísir. The Union of European Football Associations ruled the Croatian team would, therefore, have to play two home games without the support of fans.
