Norway and Georgia are locked on four points in Group A as the two nations prepare to renew acquaintances in Euro 2024 qualifying on Tuesday.
Key Takeaways
- Norway and Georgia played out a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture back in March
- The Norwegians crushed Jordan 6-0 in a friendly on Thursday
- Georgia endured a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Spain on Friday
While runaway leaders Scotland sitting nine points clear of second-placed Spain in Group A, Norway and Georgia find themselves two points shy of the Spaniards. Accordingly, both sides will view Tuesday’s clash as a must-win fixture.
Norway Form
Erling Haaland was an unused substitute as the Lions roared to a comprehensive 6-0 victory over Jordan last time out, with Norway manager Stale Solbakken opting to protect his biggest weapon ahead of Tuesday’s showdown.
The Norwegians failed to win any of their opening three Euro 2024 qualifiers, losing to Spain and Scotland while drawing with Georgia. Nevertheless, they kick-started their campaign with a 3-1 win against Cyprus back in June.
Georgia Form
Following the draw with Norway, Georgia claimed a 2-1 victory over Cyprus to take four points from their first two qualifiers. Since then, however, the Crusaders have endured back-to-back defeats against Scotland and Spain.
Managed by former France and Bayern Munich defender Willy Sagnol, Georgia were humiliated by La Roja last time out, facing a barrage of 33 shots while seeing just 28% of the ball. Needless to say, Sagnol will be looking for a big response on Tuesday.
Head-to-Head
Georgia have failed to win any of their four previous meetings with Norway, suffering three successive losses before holding the Lions to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture back in March.
Team News
Having scored 24 goals in 25 international appearances, Erling Haaland will be restored to Norway’s starting XI on Tuesday. However, Alexander Sorloth and Joshua King both remain sidelined due to injury.
Georgia could hand international debuts to Aleksandre Kalandadze and Giorgi Kochorashvili on Tuesday. At the opposite end of the spectrum, captain Guram Kashia is set to earn his 105th cap.
Key Players
Of course, Haaland is Norway’s main man, but Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, Burnley’s Sander Berge, Brentford’s Kristoffer Ajer and Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson make the Lions even stronger.
As for Georgia, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the one to watch. The gifted winger played a pivotal role in Napoli’s Serie A title triumph last season, notching 12 goals and 13 assists across 34 league games in 2022-23.
Final Thoughts
Buoyed by the 6-0 thrashing of Jordan, Norway will be confident of heaping more misery on Georgia, who are down in the dumps following Friday’s 7-1 defeat to Spain. The chances are that Haaland will have his say in Oslo.
European Championship Qualification