The two main contenders for top spot in Group I of World Cup qualifying in Europe meet on Friday in a crucial clash in Oslo.
Italy are desperate to make amends for their failure to qualify for the last two tournaments, as they bid to secure World Cup football for the first time since the 2014 competition in Brazil. There’s no guarantee that they’ll be crossing the Atlantic next summer either though, as they face really stiff competition from a strong Norway side in this group.
Having taken part in the quarter-finals of the Nations League in March, Italy are yet to kick off their campaign. They can at least take some encouragement from a spirited showing in their last match as they scored three second-half goals in an away draw against Germany.
Norway, by comparison, have already got six points on the board in this group, with nine goals scored across their two away victories against Moldova and Israel. If they can back that up with three points here, they’ll be in a fantastic position to qualify for their first major tournament since Euro 2000.
How the bookies view it: No clear favourite in Oslo
The bookies are finding it almost impossible to split these two which adds to the intrigue heading into this potentially decisive encounter. Boyle Sports make Italy the slight favourites at 7/5, while Norway are priced at 6/4. The draw is on offer at 12/5.
Recent head-to-head: Italy unbeaten in four
Gli Azzurri can take a bit of belief from a four-game unbeaten run against this opposition, but that will count for little on Friday given the most recent meeting was a decade ago. Norway have also faced Italy at all three of the World Cups they have reached, losing by one goal on each occasion.
Players to watch: Haaland’s understudy to shine?
While Erling Haaland is obviously the star in this Norway side, Stale Solbakken has found a way to also get Atletico Madrid’s Alexander Sorloth into this side alongside him.
The 29-year-old is in great form, with hat-tricks in two of his last four La Liga appearances. He hit the target at least three times in all of those games, and Sorloth is priced at a generous 14/5 with Unibet to have over 1.5 shots on target in this game.
Predicted Lineups
The home team have few major selection issues, with their two key strikers and midfielders Martin Odegaard and Sander Berge all available and set to start.
There are no such luxuries for Luciano Spalletti whose squad has been hit by withdrawals. The Italy boss is missing the likes of Manuel Locatelli, Matteo Gabbia, Alessandro Buongiorno and Francesco Acerbi here.
Norway: Nyland, Ryerson, Ajer, Ostigard, Wolfe, Odegaard, Berge, Berg, Schjelderup, Sorloth, Haaland.
Italy: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Gatti, Cambiaso, Barella, Ricci, Tonali, Udogie, Retegui, Kean.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Norway in great form and scoring 18 goals in their last four matches, the hosts look pretty good value at 6/4 to win the match with Boyle Sports.
The total goals market may also be one that will interest punters here. Seven of Italy’s eight matches this season have produced three or more goals, while the same is true of all of Norway’s last seven fixtures. Given that, odds of 3/4 for there to be over 2.5 goals in this game look quite appealing.
GambleAware