Haaland-less Norway to secure World Cup berth
An almighty scramble is set to take place during the remaining gameweek in UEFA Group G to qualify automatically for the World Cup in Qatar. Netherlands lead the way on 20 points, with both Norway and Turkey two further back. The first two face each other at De Kuip in Rotterdam on Tuesday night, armed with the knowledge that only a defeat for Oranje will open the door for their rivals to usurp them at the death, owing to the considerable goal difference advantage in their favour. Read our preview here:
Davy's locker
Head coach Louis van Gaal was understandably frustrated at the late collapse away to Montenegro at the weekend, letting slip a two-goal lead for a draw that makes everything hinge on a performance at both ends of the pitch. Even though he has yet to taste defeat during his second stint in charge, that tie could prove very costly indeed, and for all of the individual brilliance at times on display, there is still a pervasive weakness when it comes to securing results in games they're heavily favoured to win. Nevertheless, he won't make wholesale changes, perhaps swapping out Donyell Malen for Steven Bergwijn as the right-sided prong of the attacking trio. The propensity to play high up the pitch that starts from the excellent Virgil van Dijk is another possible area of concern, and experienced heads like his and Davy Klaassen will need to ensure their teammates' ones don't drop if they don't swiftly take the lead. The latter has a propensity to pop up with important goals from midfield for club side Ajax and his country, and he'll be in the left half-space of a very talented midfield trio that must remember to protect the defence when possession is lost.
Normann's price
One of the few positives Norwich City fans have been able to cling onto during their disastrous start to the current Premier League season has been the performances of defensive midfielder Mathias Normann. The Rostov loanee scored a sublime goal in their first win against Brentford, and a lot will hinge on how he and fellow double pivot Morten Thorsby perform in Feyenood. Ståle Solbakken must succeed where Scandinavian neighbours Sweden narrowly failed on Sunday night against superior opposition, marrying a strategy designed to frustrate a possession-heavy side with one that can get them a goal or two on the break or from set piece situations. Løvene completely dominated against Latvia at the weekend, but couldn't find that crucial strike - the stalemate could easily come back to haunt them unless they make their chances pay against an acommodating Dutch rearguard. Alexander Sørloth will lead the line in Erling Braut Haaland's absence, and he will be banking on the tireless running of Mohammed Elyonoussi in tandem with Martin Ødegaard's vision to get in behind the hosts.
It's not Louis's...
There has been a noticeable consolidation under the more disciplinarian proclivities of van Gaal than his immediate predecessor. That has yet to extend to being defensively assured, as they found out to what could be their significant cost against Montenegro. Half an eye will be on the Balkan nation's clash with Turkey, and it's highly unlikely they'll put up anything other than an attritional fight to round off their campaign. The hosts in Holland are naturally heavy favourites, but lingering doubts persist. Norway simply have to win, and can't bank on the result elsewhere. betway have odds of 7.00 for an away win that would almost certainly cataplut them to their first World Cup this century.
