Norway v Serbia
NORWAY Three Reasons to be Cheerful
1 Up to now, marksman Erling Haaland has featured little for the national team. But with the teenager in such a rich vein of form, how can coach Lars Lagerback ignore him?
2 As he proved at the helm of Sweden and Iceland, Lagerback excels in defensive organisation and has managed to make the Norwegians a very tough nut to crack. Their high-pressing game is very effective and they do not easily lose their shape. Just the one defeat in qualification speaks for itself.
3 Rampaging right-back Omar Elabdellaoui is their ace in the hole, forever looking to push forward and often found higher up the pitch than rightsided midfielder Stefan Johansen.
Three Fear Factors
1 The repeated hamstring problems of striker Joshua King. It’s been an affliction for the 28-year-old throughout his career, with three flare-ups this term. 2 While their approach play has been fluid enough under Lagerback, many of their attacks seem to lose momentum in and around the penalty area. At times they can be a little primitive going forward, repeatedly launching long balls and looking to win the second phase. 3 Norway’s number one keeper Rune Jarstein has had a season to forget at Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga and is now on the bench. A demotion at just the wrong time.
SERBIA Three Reasons to be Cheerful
1 Their creative midfield ranks – not least Dusan Tadic, Sergej MilinkovicSavic, Filip Kostic and Mijat Gacinovic. 2 Every team needs a goalscorer and Serbia certainly have one in the shape of Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has scored in his last seven internationals.
3 The return to form of defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic, who once again is a fixture in the Manchester United line-up. So much for those who claimed he was over the hill at 31.
Three Fear Factors
1 For reasons best known to themselves the Serbia side have not enjoyed a consistent rearguard line-up for many years. This worrying lack of common purpose and understanding was apparent in the qualifiers, notably the 5-0 thumping in Ukraine and 4-2 home loss to Portugal.
2 Luka Jovic, who in just a few months, has gone from Frankfurt goal machine to Real Madrid flop. Nor is he on the best of terms with Serbia coach Ljubisa Tumbakovic after walking out on the national squad last autumn with a supposed ankle injury.
3 Did Tumbakovic set up a hostage to fortune by describing Norway as the opponents “we wanted the least in the play-offs”? Why plant seeds of negativity?