There are a few minutes until the meeting between Wales and Norway in the Nations League. Wales boss Craig Bellamy has, like many others, been impressed by Norway.
There is no doubt that Norway is a team in progress – especially after we reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Here you can follow the match.
Wales boss Craig Bellamy believes Ståle Solbakken’s side will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come. “You get to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, and right now you are really on a perfect wave,” Bellamy said when asked for his assessment by the Norwegian media.
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“You have built this up in your nation over many years, and you have two clubs in the Champions League.
“This is a real wave now, and I don’t think it’s going to go away.
“As rich as your country is, you are really investing money in certain areas—including sports. I expect you to be a force to be reckoned with for many years.”
Bellamy shakes up the Wales squad – here are the line-ups
Craig Bellamy makes several changes to the team that started against Denmark in the previous game. Chris Mepham, Connor Roberts, Charlie Savage, Brennan Johnson and Kieffer Moore are all out of the starting line-up. In come Ben Cabango, Jay Dasilva, Jordan James, Liam Cullen and Lewis Koumas.
The teams are out!
Ørjan Nyland gets renewed confidence in goal for Norway. In the back line, David Møller Wolfe comes in, after serving a suspension in the two games against Denmark and Portugal. Otherwise, it is the same who start at the back – but with Møller Wolfe back, Julian Ryerson switches to right-back again. Kristoffer Vassbakk Ajer and Torbjørn Heggem continue as center backs.
Fredrik Aursnes received a lot of praise for his efforts as a right-back against Portugal. Today, he is moved up to midfield, where he takes his place as a left inner runner. Martin Ødegaard and Sander Berge also start – which means that Patrick Berg is out of the team.
Antonio Nusa is also out of the starting eleven and is replaced by Oscar Bobb, who starts as a right winger today. Andreas Schjelderup takes his place out on the left, while Erling Braut Haaland is a striker!
Kick-off from Cardiff is at 20:45 Norwegian time, and the 22 starters will be announced just over an hour before. Stay tuned!
The refereeing team
Alejandro Hernández referees tonight’s game. On the sides he has José Naranjo and Diego Sánchez. Victor Garcia is the fourth referee, while Dennis Higler and Richard Martens sit in the VAR room.
Wales without their big star
Harry Wilson – perhaps the best single player Wales have right now – is out injured. That is a big weakening for Wales. They do have several players at a decent level, but Wilson’s creativity and left foot are difficult – if not impossible – to replace in the Welsh team.
He hasn’t had a great start at Leeds this season, but last season he recorded ten goals and seven assists in the Premier League for Fulham, then as a teammate of Oscar Bobb and Sander Berge.
Tough match schedule – is Solbakken rolling?
There are four games waiting in a short time for Norway, so it remains to be seen if Solbakken rotates the team tonight to have the best possible chance of winning both today’s game and Sunday’s away game against Portugal.
Martin Ødegaard took a knock against Portugal after a nasty tackle from Bernardo Silva. At the time of writing, it has not yet been confirmed whether he will be fit for action tonight, but the latest reports are positive and suggest that the captain could contribute against Wales.
The goalkeeper discussion
After the blunders against Portugal, Ørjan Nyland’s place in the team has been discussed ahead of tonight’s game. Several have advocated that the stage should be set for a goalkeeper change, but Solbakken has been faithful to Nyland for a long time – so it will be exciting to see who guards the cage tonight.
The alternative is probably Egil Selvik, who stands for French Brest. The third goalkeeper in the squad, Sander Tangvik, does not play enough games for Hamburg and is probably a clear third choice in the national team for the time being.
Important points in the Nations League
They lost at home to Portugal, after Ståle Solbakken’s men got off to a good start in the Nations League with a 3-2 win against Denmark.
Wales, on the other hand, have lost both of their games against the same teams – 0-1 away to Portugal and 0-2 away to Denmark. They are thus chasing their first goal and points in the Nations League this autumn.
After one win and one loss, Norway is ready for their third game in the Nations League. This time, Wales is the opponent, and the match will be played at Cardiff City Stadium in the Welsh capital.
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