- Team form: Stjarnan are averaging 1.86 goals per home game in the Besta deild karla 2026 this season, with 13 goals at home.
- Away form: KA Akureyri are scoring 1.60 goals per away game in the league in 2026 and conceding 2.00 on average, so a high-scoring game seems likely on Sunday.
- Players to watch: Emil Atlason has scored 6 goals in 3 league games for Stjarnan this season, including 4 in their last 5.
Stjarnan vs KA: two sides in need of a boost
8th-placed Stjarnan have collected 11 points in 12 games in the ongoing Besta deild karla 2026 campaign while 10th-placed KA Akureyri are one place and one point worse off (10 pts from 11 games).
The home side are the favourites for this game with the bookies but have been in poor form of late, winning one, drawing one and losing three of their last five in the Icelandic top-flight. KA have been even worse with four straight defeats coming into this game and just one win in their last five. Stjarnan are undefeated in their last three games against KA, winning two and drawing once, while the visitors have not won their most recent away match at Stjarnan.
Elisabetarson’s Stjarnan have structure and depth
Stjarnan's structure
A clash of two distinctly different tactical systems will be on show at Stjoernuvoellur on Sunday when two of Iceland's mid-table teams go head-to-head. Joekull Elisabetarson's team, who have been playing with structure and build-up since he took over in May 2023, will look to dominate possession by being patient and building up from their deep pivot.
Their full-backs will look to provide overloads or invert into the half-spaces in front of the opposing defence, which allows Stjarnan to break forward into the channels or the box. Elisabetarson's tweaks have seen Stjarnan create more overloads in the half-spaces and vertical passing lanes but they still need to improve on their poor home record of 1-1-5.
KA's setup
KA coach Hallgrimur Jonasson prefers a much more compact setup, which is far narrower and designed to absorb pressure while his team wait for quick transitions.
They score plenty of goals on the break, with their wide forwards and overlapping wing-backs making them dangerous when they can get on the front foot. But they are easy to exploit when forced to defend for long spells and have just one win in their last three away fixtures.
Goals and momentum at stake
Stjarnan have the edge in the odds and the head-to-head record, while KA are in a poor run of results, but both teams need a win more than anything else on Sunday. It will be a game of chess between two sides that are each desperate for momentum, so every duel, every turnover and every bit of pressure they can exert on their opponents could be pivotal.
- Over 2.5 goals looks great value at 1.28 here given the average goals tallies of these two mid-table sides and their recent high-scoring head-to-head contest, which Stjarnan won 3-2 away from home two months ago.
- Our bet on the winner is Stjarnan to edge a high-scoring, hard-fought game – 3-2 to the hosts looks possible.
- Emil Atlason is Stjarnan's main man up front and has been in great form recently, scoring four goals in his last five league games.
- Hallgrimur Mar Steingrimsson leads the line for KA, the 27-year-old having scored three in two Besta deild karla 2026 appearances this term.
