Iceland head coach Eyjolfur Sverrisson has named a strong team to face Trinidad and Tobago in the Carnival Tuesday friendly international at Loftus Road, England.
The game which is being used by the “Soca Warriors” as a part of their build up for the 2006 World Cup will not only present head coach Leo Beenhakker with a chance to see his team on the pitch for the first time since the 1-0 win over Bahrain in November but it seems now he will be getting a stern test from the Iceland team which includes Leicester City midfielder Johannes Guojonsson and Chelsea striker Eiður Guðjohnsen. The squad also includes seven English-based players, three who ply their trade in Swden and others based in Norway, Holland and Belgium.
Iceland’s closing World Cup qualifying match was a 3-1 loss on October 12 to Sweden – T&T’s opening World Cup opponent on June 10. Despite taking an 11th minute lead through Kara Arnason, they fell as the Swedes got goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic (29th), Henrik Larsson and Kim Kallstrom in added on time.
The T&T squad, announced last week by Beenhakker will assemble at the Renaissance Hotel, Heathrow at midday on February 26 with an evening training session scheduled for the Queens’ Park Rangers training pitch. Beenhakker added that the door has not be closed on any player for selection on the final 23-man squad which will go to the World Cup but he did say that he has to make use of the players at his disposal who he thinks can make a difference at the international level and hence his reason for selecting the newcomers for the match later this month. As a result there are some players who were not invited to play at Loftus Road. Some of them include Dundee goalkeeper Kelvin Jack who is now coming off an injury and has not been seeing action for his club, Gillingham defenders Brent Sancho and Ian Cox, Falkirk midfielder Densill Theobald, and US-based strikers Cornell Glen and Scott Sealy.
Iceland Squad:
Goalkeepers:
Árni Gautur Arason (Vålerenga IF), Norway Daði Lárusson (FHk)
Defenders:
Hermann Hreiðarsson (Charlton Athletic), Indriði Sigurðsson (KRC Genk), Kristján Örn Sigurðsson (SK Brann), Ivar Ingimarsson (Reading FC), Grétar Rafn Steinsson (AZ Alkmaar)
Midfielders:
Brynjar Björn Gunnarsson (Reading FC), Arnar Þór Viðarsson (FC Twente), Jóhannes Karl Guðjónsson (Leicester City), Stefán Gíslason (SFK Lyn), Kári Árnason (Djurgårdens IF), Helgi Valur Daníelsson (Östers IF), Emil Hallfreðsson (Malmö FF)
Strikers:
Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen (Chelsea FC), Heiðar Helguson (Fulham FC), Hannes Þ. Sigurðsson (Stoke City FC), Grétar Ólafur Hjartarson (KR)