Iceland and Bosnia & Herzegovina set out to battle on Thursday in the Group J of the European Championship qualification. This is the first game from both teams this year and they would be looking to start on a good slate. My preferred betting tip on this game would be an away win or draw for Iceland and here's why you should bank on them to get a result here;

[1] Iceland had a good 2022 overall and it was a shame they missed out on the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Icelanders have been to more major tournaments in recent times than Bosnia & Herzegovina and this is a testament of their growth in recent years. Bosnia & Herzegovina on the other hand has seen a reduction in quality with big players retiring from the national team. The Bosnians had just one win in eight group stage games in the World Cup qualifiers last year and that victory was against a Kazakhstan team ranked outside the top 100 in the world. I think with the squad available to both teams and their recent performances at huge tournaments, Iceland can at least get a win or draw against the declining Bosnia and Herzegovina.

[2] Anar Vidarsson has introduced a playing style at Iceland that helps them frustrate the opponents and gives them a good advantage over the other team. Big teams like Belgium and England have found it hard to get past the defensive banks of four that Iceland employs and Bosnia & Herzegovina is up against a tough test on Thursday. This style of football has fetched Iceland good results in the last games they played and they have only lost once in four outings. I think Bosnia aren't playing well right now and they would experience difficulties breaking down Iceland's defense, so we could be witnessing a draw here or an Iceland win.

Portugal is the other strong team in this group and both teams would even prefer a draw than to taste defeat on opening day which could limit their chances of going through. I'm confident that Iceland can get the win here or settle for a draw.