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Norway must beat Wales in Oslo to keep Nations League quarter-final hopes alive after losing 2-1 in Cardiff in October.
Norway captain Martin Odegaard is targeting redemption against Wales on Saturday as the Scandinavian hosts fight to keep their slim Nations League quarter-final hopes alive. Sitting bottom of Group A4, Stale Solbakken's side must win in Oslo to avenge last month's defeat in Cardiff and remain in contention for the last eight.
Odegaard is determined to settle the score after goals from Dan James and Neco Williams sealed a 2-1 victory for Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium in October. Despite reaching the World Cup quarter-finals this summer, the Scandinavians have suffered three defeats across their current Group A4 campaign. Those three consecutive losses match their total from their previous 23 outings combined, which featured 17 wins and three draws.
Seeking to avoid losing four consecutive matches for the first time since October 2016, the Arsenal playmaker believes his team-mates are ready to bounce back in front of their own supporters.
Reflecting on last month's defeat in South Wales, Odegaard said: "Our level was not where it should be. I think it's probably the only game for a long time where we haven't been playing to our standards."
He added: "Wales is a good team, a competitive team, lots of good players in big leagues and a physical team as well, and we were prepared for that."
Odegaard continued: "But I think on the day we were just not showing up to our standards, and that's something we want to show [on Saturday], and we can do a lot better. We want to show a different version."
With Craig Bellamy's visitors also requiring three points to preserve their own quarter-final ambitions, head coach Solbakken expects an end-to-end contest: "It's like a boxing [match], going head-to-head, fist-to-fist."
Solbakken said: "I think Wales has always been a very attacking team under Bellamy. They've had great progress with the ball."
He added: "I think it suits the team with the offensive players they have, the speed on the wings and Harry Wilson back. And [Lewis] Koumas getting more minutes for Liverpool, so I think that suits them."
Tightening up at the back will be essential for Norway, as every one of their 12 matches since March's 0-0 draw with Switzerland has seen both teams score. That run represents their longest spell without a clean sheet since an 18-game streak between June 1980 and June 1982. Furthermore, conceding at least twice in five straight games is their worst defensive sequence since a six-match run in March 1976.
A win for Norway keeps their Nations League quarter-final hopes alive, while Wales also needs three points to preserve its own ambitions in Group A4.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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