FH Hafnarfjörður were among the strongest sides in Icelandic football through the 2000s and 2010s. Now they sit at the bottom of the Besta deild, fighting to stay up. Their opponent at Kaplakriki arrives from the opposite direction: ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar, the club from the Westman Islands off the south coast, come in with two big wins behind them and form on the rise after a rough start. Two sides in a relegation scrap, who drew 1–1 in the islands back in April, meet again — and this time it's a direct six-pointer.
The market
No market line was available at the time of writing.
What draws the eye here is the defending — or rather the lack of it, on both sides. FH have conceded in all six of their last matches, sixteen goals in total, including a 0–5 hammering away at Víkingur. The one bright spot is a 2–1 win at Keflavík a fortnight ago. Beyond that, it's a run that belongs at the foot of the table.
ÍBV come the other way. After three straight defeats, the form turned sharply: 6–1 at home to Keflavík, then 4–1 away at Þór. Thirteen goals in six matches says plenty about the attacking threat. But it's worth keeping in mind that both of those big wins came against lower-table opposition. And for all the goals, ÍBV haven't kept a clean sheet across these six either — no better than FH on that count.
The league standings are best treated with care — the official table wasn't clear at the time of writing — but it's confirmed that both clubs sit in the bottom three, FH at the foot and ÍBV just above them. With the bottom two of twelve going down, this is a straight relegation battle where points carry real weight. Then there's the travel factor that follows ÍBV everywhere: the trip from the Westman Islands to the mainland, by ferry or by plane, both at the mercy of the weather.
LAST 6 MATCHES
The question this match answers is a simple one: can FH's back line, wide open for weeks now, hold off an attack that scored ten goals in its last two outings? ÍBV march in with confidence and players finding the net. Against them stand a home side that hasn't managed to keep the goals out once in six attempts.
But the picture isn't that simple. ÍBV scored their goals against sides barely better off than FH, and when they met stiffer resistance — against Víkingur and KA — they failed to score at all. The attacking threat is real, but it has thrived against weak defences. Here it meets another weak defence, which could mean an open game in both directions rather than one-way traffic. The key will be whether FH can keep the ball away from their own box long enough to take the sting out of the visitors' attack. If they can't, this could be a night the hosts would rather forget.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
12 Apr 2026 · Besta deild · Hásteinsvöllur · ÍBV 1–1 FH
THE PICK
Both teams to score: Yes
With no market line available at the time of writing, the pick is read off the form. ÍBV bring the attacking threat and face a defence that hasn't shut the door in six matches. When both sides have conceded in every recent outing and the head-to-head numbers point the same way, it's hard to picture a low-scoring defensive grind — the signs point to goals at both ends.
The risk comes in two parts. First, ÍBV's wins came against weak sides, and a home crowd in a relegation fight can bring out a very different FH from the one the numbers suggest. Second, the trip from the islands is a genuine factor — if the visitors have a bad journey to the mainland and the match goes 1–0 to the hosts early, FH can close it down, and the case for an away win and goals galore falls apart.
FH belonged in the title race through the 2000s and 2010s; to see the club scrapping at the bottom gives this game a weight beyond the table alone. Across from them stand ÍBV, the island side who make the ferry or flight trip to face a direct relegation rival on the mainland. Kick-off is at 17:00 at Kaplakriki — and an Icelandic broadcaster is still to be confirmed.