On Sunday night, Norway and Sweden will play in Oslo at the Ullevaal Stadion in their fourth League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League with kickoff at 7 pm.
Norway, who started the Nations League by winning their first three matches, could not maintain their perfect record as they played out a goalless draw against Slovenia on Thursday.
Miha Blazic was shown a straight red card just after the hour mark for a late challenge on Erling Braut Haaland, but the Lions could not take advantage of the extra man and be eventually forced to share the spoils.
Nevertheless, Stale Solbakken will have been pleased with his side’s start to their Nations League campaign, as they have picked up seven points from their first three matches and sit one point clear of Serbia at the summit.
After a 2-0 win over Slovenia in their Nations League opener, Sweden has suffered two straight defeats by Norway and Serbia. The Blue and Yellow were beaten 1-0 away from home by the latter on Thursday, with a strike from Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic enough for Serbia to claim victory.
Janne Andersson’s side will be looking to bounce back when they take on Norway on Sunday—a match that could be crucial in determining whether Sweden will return to League A of the competition.
Norway vs Sweden Head to Head
Both sides have six games against other with each side taking one win and four draws. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Norway 0-0 Slovenia
- Sweden 1-2 Norway
- Serbia 0-1 Norway
- Norway 9-0 Armenia
Away
- Sweden 0-1 Serbia
- Sweden 1-2 Norway
- Slovenia 0-2 Sweden
- Poland 2-0 Sweden
Norway Team News
Norway manager Kjetil Solbakken may decide to make a couple of changes to freshen up his side, considering the quick turnaround between fixtures. Both Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Mohammed Elyounoussi are set to retain their places in attack, but Joshua King could come in for Alexander Sorloth. At the same time, Morten Thorsby may replace Fredrik Aursnes, joining Martin Odegaard and Sander Berge in center-midfield.
Sweden Team News
With Victor Lindelof and Carl Starfelt out due to injury, head coach Andersson may have to call upon Hjalmar Ekdal and Sotirios Papagiannopoulos – who have just five international caps between them – to start at center-back.
Prediction and Odds
Andersson’s squad needs to avoid defeat on Sunday to keep the promotion hopes alive, but considering Norway’s form and firepower, a home victory could be on the cards.
- Norway Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- Haaland to Score
