Norway vs Spain
Spain are running away with their Euro 2020 qualifying group. La Furia Roja have won all six of their qualifying matches thus far and are showing just why they remain one of the top favourites according to the Euro 2020 odds.
However, they’re set to face their two toughest tests left in the group with back-to-back away matches in Scandinavia, starting with a visit to Oslo to take on Norway.
The Norwegians gave Spain all they could handle in their first match back in March and will be eager to pick up a positive result in front of their home fans.
Talking Points
Norway out for revenge
Spain have swept all before them thus far in the group, but Norway at least made things a bit difficult for them in their first meeting back in March. The Spaniards needed a Sergio Ramos penalty to come away with a 2-1 win.
Since that loss, Norway have gone undefeated in their next five qualifiers. However, they have been unable to pick up as many points as they would’ve liked. They threw away two-goal leads in home draws against Sweden and Romania.
And after comfortable 2-0 wins against the Faroe Islands and Malta, they were once again unable to hold onto a lead as they once again drew 1-1 at Sweden last month.
The big Euro 2020 news for Norway is the inclusion of Erling Braut Haaland in the squad for their upcoming qualifiers. The 19-year-old sensation has been in blistering form for RB Salzburg this season, already scoring 18 goals in 11 appearances in all competitions. He also scored as Salzburg gave defending champions Liverpool quite a scare in the Champions League.
It remains to be seen whether Norway boss Lars Lagerback will allow Haaland to make some Euro 2020 highlights right away against Spain, though. Joshua King and Tarik Elyounoussi remain the team’s two most reliable forwards and remain favourite to start upfront.
However, another Norwegian wunderkind in Martin Odegaard looks set to keep his place in the starting XI. The 20-year-old has had a fine start to the season with Real Sociedad and will look to unlock the Spanish defence.
Spain’s unbeaten run
Spain have been their typical brilliant best during qualifying. They’ve won all six qualifying games — and seven straight matches overall — while scoring 17 goals and allowing just three.
Spain have barely skipped a beat under new manager Robert Moreno, who took over for Luis Enrique on a full-time basis back in June.
Moreno has begun incorporating some new faces into the Spanish setup. The likes of Fabian Ruiz, Pablo Sarabia, and Mikel Oyarzabal have gotten their first few caps by Moreno in recent qualifiers, while Sergio Reguilon, Pau Torres, and Gerard Moreno have all been called up for the first time.
Moreno takes the place of Paco Alcacer, who is dealing with an Achilles tendon injury. The Borussia Dortmund striker has been in brilliant form for his country, scoring six goals in his last four appearances.
Moreno has been in fine form himself. He’s currently tied for the league lead in La Liga with six goals. But he will likely start on the bench with Rodrigo Moreno expected to lead the line. The Valencia striker scored twice in Spain’s 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands and also found the net in their 2-1 win over Norway.
History
Spain and Norway have squared off seven times in total. The Spaniards have come out on top five times, with one loss and one draw. Norway’s lone win over the Spanish was way back in the Euro 2000 group stage.
Since then, Spain have won the last three meetings: both legs of their Euro 2004 qualifying play-off as well as their most recent encounter in March.
Betting Tip
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Norway vs Spain | Norway Asian Handicap +1.25 @ 1.75 |
| October 13, 02:45 (GMT+8) |
SBOBET odds have Spain installed as 1.51 favourites away from home, with hosts Norway at 6.00. The draw is priced at 4.00.
Based on Spain’s current form, it’s hard to not see them coming away from Oslo with another three points. The Norway defence has been unable to keep a clean sheet against the better teams in the group, and even with Paco’s absence, Spain still have more than enough attacking weapons to throw at them.
However, I still expect this to be a tight affair similar to the one in Spain. That’s why I’m going with the Norwegians on the Asian Handicap to keep this match to within a single goal at home.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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