new
Euro 2016 >

Iceland are in the mood to upset the hosts

2016-07-03 07:20:00 from:SNTV

Iceland joint head coach Lars Lagerback on Saturday (2nd July) decribed Euro 2016 quarter-final opponents France as "a little bit of a favourite, but I wouldn't call them a big favourite" and added his side must "go out there tomorrow and believe that we can beat them".

SOUNDBITE: (English) Aron Gunnarsson, Iceland captain:

"We're not trying to be like any other team, we're just Iceland. It's our identity and how we come towards the game and how we approach it. It's been fantastic to be a part of this squad. But like you say playing against the bigger teams and players that are playing with the best clubs is always going to be tough. But you're in this to test yourself and it's going to be a big test for us tomorrow. But we're ready for it."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Heimir Hallgrimsson, Iceland joint-manager:

"Of course, like you know, all the French players are playing in the best teams in the world and probably the individual qualities of the French players is higher than the Icelandic ones and we acknowledge that, that's no question. But our team can be superior to the French even though they have better individuals."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Lars Lagerback, Iceland joint-manager:

"I would say of course that France is a little bit of a favourite but I wouldn't call them a big favourite. It that is 40-60 or whatever. The most important for us is not the percentage there but that we go out there tomorrow and believe that we can beat them. If we have that attitude then I think we can cause them some problems anyway."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Aron Gunnarsson, Iceland captain (asked if he was encouraged after seeing Wales beat Belgium):

"Yeah, of course. Like we knew before the tournament, they weren't favoured to reach that far and we weren't either. It's a joy to watch and I think Wales are a force to be reckoned with. They've got a good squad, good players and a tough togetherness and I think they're showing a great attitude and desire to win football matches and it's something that we can definitely learn from. I think we are quite to similar to them. Especially in that direction."

  • Standings
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F
  • Top Scorers
Ranking Player Country GS (PEN)
Top 3 Teams of the Past EUROs
  • Year
  • Winners
  • Runner-up