Norway and Slovakia will kick off their latest meeting on Friday when the two teams face off in a friendly in Oslo, kickoff at 8 pm.
After narrowly missing out on European playoff qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Norway will face their friendly rivals Australia on the 24th of March 2018.
With only five victories from their opening eight fixtures, Norway would sit in third position behind Turkey and Netherlands. In a bid to progress to the playoffs, Solbakken’s men faced the Dutch team at home but fell short in a 2-0 defeat. Bergwijn and Depay were the scorers.
Norway has failed to qualify for a major tournament since 2000, but their next chance to do that will be when Euro 2024 Qualifiers begin next year. Before the UEFA Nations League kicks off in the summer, Solbakken’s team will look to correct their form against Slovakia in April.
With just 11 points and two victories from their opening nine matches, the national team’s chances of qualifying for the Euro 2016 tournament were dwindling. Still, they rallied on day 11 of the competition. They routed Malta 6-0 in a faraway land, sending a message to other teams hoping to overtake them in the standings that they are not ready to relinquish their third-place spot.
Norway vs. Slovakia Head to Head
Both sides have two games against each other, with each side taking one win. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Netherlands 2-0 Norway
- Norway 0-0 Latvia
- Norway 2-0 Montenegro
- Turkey 1-1 Norway
- Norway 5-1 Gibraltar
Away
- Malta 0-6 Slovakia
- Slovakia 2-2 Slovenia
- Croatia 2-2 Slovakia
- Russia 1-0 Slovakia
- Slovakia 2-0 Cyprus
Norway Team News
Norwegian star forwards Erling Braut Haaland has recently come back from a long layoff for Borussia Dortmund, having hit 23 goals in 23 club appearances this term after scoring 41 goals for BVB last campaign, should help the Scandinavian nation overly.
Slovakia Team News
Visitors have again called up an experienced squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. However, captain and all-time top scorer Marek Hamsik is a notable absentee, with the creative midfielder ruled out through injury.
Prediction and Odds
Norway’s attacking prowess makes them our pick for the win in this match, despite their failure to progress through World Cup Qualifying.
- Norway Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- Haaland to Score
