ICELAND defender Hermann Hreidarsson insists his country are aiming to be the surprise contenders in Group Nine.
Scotland's second World Cup qualifying opponents go head-to-head with Scandinavian rivals Norway in Oslo today in the other match in the section. Portsmouth stopper Hreidarsson, recently voted his country's player of the year, is adamant the Icelan
ders can grab all three points, even though the odds are stacked against them.
Hreidarsson said: "We have good players in most positions right now and we are all very proud to play for our country. In the qualification for Euro 2008, we didn't show it, but I believe we can make a strong start this time. For us, a good result in Oslo would be to avoid defeat. We will be happy with a point, but we've not come all the way to Norway to make up the numbers. We'll go for the win and I don't see why we can't do it."
Scotland face Iceland in Reykjavik on Wednesday night.
The Norwegians' idea of preparation for this campaign involved a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland in Oslo two weeks ago. Played in torrential rain which might well have forced the game's abandonment had it not being a friendly – such was the farcical nature of the conditions – the game exposed Age Hareide's side as a rather turgid outfit, solid but unexciting, and certainly lacking the verve which previous sides have shown.
Perhaps the incentive of £100,000 per man should they qualify for the World Cup finals will inspire them.
Norwegian FA president Sondre Kafjord explained:
"The main point is that, if we reach the World Cup, we will raise a lot of money, so it's only natural the players who got us there should get their share. Should we fail to qualify, any money that's raised from television revenue or ticket sales would be better spent on grass-roots football, to develop the next generation."
The full article contains 335 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
