This awaits Norway in the Nations League
Today, Erling Braut Haaland, Martin Ødegaard and Sander Berge start the road to Ståle Solbakken’s big goal as national team manager: the European Championships in 2024.
A new round of Nations League starts and Solbakken’s men get a real test right away, away against Serbia.
This summer and autumn, double settlements await against Serbia, Sweden and Slovenia in the B division, second highest Nations League level. First out are away games against Serbia and Sweden (Sunday).
– It will be exciting to see how close we are. Considering that two of the matches are away, it will give a strong indication of how big steps we have taken. Serbia has had a strong period since they got a new coach. It will be a nice first test for us, says national team manager Ståle Solbakken to VG.
Star striker Dusan Vlahovic is missing for the Serbs. Solbakken nevertheless warns against the team being full of offensive power that could present problems for Norway.
– They have very good offensive forces, even without Vlahovic. They have Tadic, who delivers huge goals in Ajax. We must also mention Alexandar Mitrovic and Sergei Milinkovic-Savic. In addition, they have offensive edges. They have many strings to play on, says the national team manager.
He also expects tough settlements against the Swedes.
– We know what Sweden stands for. They are rock solid. In addition, they have many offensive shooters, especially with Kulusevski, Isak, Forsberg and more.
UEFA’s “innovation” from 2018 will soon start again. After the last round ended with second place behind Austria, most Norwegians’ strongest Nations League memory to date is linked to disappointment and despair in the playoff semi-final against Serbia, which was played in October 2020 – half a year after originally scheduled.
Serbia won at Ullevaal, but lost to Scotland in the final. The Scots got the European Championship place, both Serbia and Norway had to stay at home.
The man who sunk Norway on Ullevaal in October 2020 is still Serbia’s big star. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is Lazio’s great army commander and was long regarded as one of Football Europe’s most exciting midfielders. Despite countless speculations, 27-year-old Milinkovic-Savic has remained at the club he signed for in 2015.
Dragan Stojkovic is the national team manager. He got the job just over a year ago, and was therefore not included when Norway was knocked out of the Nations League towards the European Championships in 2021.
Sweden need no further introduction. Unfortunately, we are cheated for the super duel between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Erling Braut Haaland, as the 41-year-old super Swede is out of action for up to eight months after having surgery on his knee last week.
In recent years, Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak has crystallized as the big profile of the Swedish national team. The shooting star Anthony Elanga has taken Manchester United by storm this season, and will probably have Stefan Strandberg, Birger Meling and the other Norwegian defenders in trouble when the teams meet on Sunday night.
Former national team coach and now coach for Swedish Häcken, Per-Mathias Høgmo, assesses the strength of the relationship between Norway and Sweden as follows:
– Basically, I would think that it is quite even, as I read the picture now. Both teams have solid midfields, while Norway may have a small plus in the front line with our good Haaland in the lead. So perhaps both have the biggest challenges in the back fours. There are matches with many interesting questions that we get an answer on since they will meet at times. Then you weed out some of the coincidences that can be raw when you only meet in one match. The analysis after the two matches will be exciting, says Høgmo to VG.
The teams meet on Sunday night in Stockholm, before they bark together again a week later at Ullevaal. Janne Andersson is still in the executive chair after taking Sweden to a straight championship after getting the job in 2016. Last year’s European Championships ended in a quarter-final exit for Ukraine, while the World Cup place in Qatar slipped.
Slovenia is probably the team most people know the least about. A nation better known for ski jumpers than football stars. Therefore, it is perhaps significant that it is the last defense Jan Oblak who is the biggest profile, who for a number of years has been put on as one of the world’s very best goalkeepers.
The shooting star Benjamin Sesko has also done well in RB Salzburg this season. The team is led by Matjaz Kek, who got the job in 2018. The nation has not been in a championship since 2002.
Should Norway win their group, they will move up to level A towards the next qualification. In addition, a semi-final playoff awaits before a possible final. The winner has secured a place in the European Championships in Germany in 2024.