KA Akureyri vs Grindavik Predictions

Akureyri haven’t exactly made a bright start to the new campaign, as they sit in 8^th position, having won three and lost four. After tasting defeat last time out, the hosts will be hoping to bounce back, while the visitors will be looking to make it seven league games without a loss.

In truth, it’s been a mixed start from Akureyri, who at times have looked useful; they performed very well to beat IBV last time out at home, though they struggled to get going last time out on their travels. In fact, they’ve performed differently depending on whether they’re at home or not. They’ve not been great away, but in front of their own fans, they’ve not been bad at all.

Saturday’s hosts have won three of two of their three home games, with their only defeat coming against the league leaders. They’ve scored three, conceded just one and have kept two clean sheets at home, while they’re averaging a pleasing 1.52 expected goals for and have conceded an average of only 0.67.

While Akureyri have looked useful on their own patch, Grindavik haven’t exactly set the world alight on their travels. Saturday’s visitors have avoided defeat in each of their two away games this season, drawing away against both Hk and IBV, though their performances haven’t been great.

In their first away match, Grindavik did manage to hold lowly IBV to a draw, but given that they offered little going forward, creating only 0.73 expected goals for, they were fortunate to score twice. They also looked shaky at the back, as they surrendered two goals and 1.44 expected goals. In their most recent away game, Grindavik improved defensively, as they kept a clean sheet and conceded 1.03 expected goals for, though their attacking efforts continued to be weak, as they failed to score and posted a mere 0.63 expected goals for.

Interestingly, the hosts recently beat IBV by two goals to nil at home, creating 1.81 expected goals for and conceding only 0.52. Such numbers bode well given that the visitors recently created only 0.73 and conceded 1.44 against IBV away from home.

Given that there’s quite a disparity in terms of what Akureyri have done offensively at home and what Grindavik have produced at home, it’s not terribly difficult to make a case for the hosts.

Specifically, ‘Akureyri to Win & Over 1.5 Goals’ stands out as a viable option. With an average 1.52 expected goals for in front of their own fans, the hosts look a decent bet to score twice on route to victory against a travelling side that lacks both forward strength and defensive solidity on the road.