Nigeria play Iceland in a World Cup Group D match in Volgograd on Friday.
Where: Volgograd Arena
Capacity: 43,713
When: Friday, June 22, 1800 local (1500 GMT/1100 ET)
Key stats:
– Iceland began their World Cup with an impressive 1-1 draw against twice champions Argentina. Nigeria lost 2-0 to Croatia.
– Iceland are appearing in their first World Cup after a run to the quarterfinals in Euro 2016 which included a knockout win over England.
– Nigeria are appearing at their sixth World Cup finals and have missed only one since they first qualified in 1994.
– Nigeria have got past the first round three times.
– Nigeria’s coach is German Gernot Rohr, a former Bayern Munich player who has also managed the national teams of Gabon, Niger and Burkina Faso.
– Of the teams at the World Cup, Nigeria had the youngest squad during the qualifying matches with an average age of just under 25. Iceland had the second-oldest squad, averaging 29 years of age.
– Nigeria were the first nation to qualify from Africa for the 2018 tournament, finishing top of a group featuring Cameroon, Zambia and Algeria.
– Iceland won their qualifying group to claim their spot in Russia, including home and away victories over Turkey.
– Iceland’s manager, Heimir Hallgrimsson, was number two to Swede Lars Lagerback who steered Iceland to Euro 2016.
– Iceland’s key player Gylfi Sigurdsson recovered from injury in time to play in Saturday’s draw against Argentina.
– Iceland’s fans are famous for their “thunderclap” chants.
– When England and Tunisia played in Volgograd on Monday, players were bothered by gnats, a seasonal problem in the riverside city.
Previous meetings:
Iceland and Nigeria have met only once before, a 1981 friendly in Reykjavik won 3-0 by the Nordic island nation.
