Norway vs Cyprus

Norway’s bid to qualify for Euro 2024 faces a crucial challenge as they meet a lowly Cyprus at the Ullevall Stadion.

The Norwegians find themselves in a precarious situation, having only earned a meager one point from their initial three European Championship qualifying matches. A victory in their upcoming game is vital if they are to break a 24-year drought and secure a spot in a major international tournament. Norway’s only historic appearance in the Euro tournament dates back to Euro 2000, and that record is unlikely to change unless they swiftly recover from their recent 2-1 defeat to Scotland. Despite holding the lead heading into the last five minutes, Stale Solbakken’s side frustratingly ended up empty-handed, extending their worrying winless run to four games (D2, L2). However, Cyprus’ visit could change that narrative, with Norway emerging victorious in all 11 historic H2Hs, most recently beating them 2-0 in the UEFA Nations League in 2018.

As for Cyprus, the current qualifying campaign has been all doom and gloom, as they slipped to a 2-1 home loss to Georgia last time out following a thumping 3-0 defeat at Scotland on day one. Nailed to the bottom of Group A as the only team without a single point to their name, the visitors face an almost impossible task of qualifying for a first-ever European Championship. Adding to this sentiment, Temur Ketsbaia’s men are winless on their last 14 international travels in all competitions (D3, L11), losing the two most recent by a 3+ goal margin. Against this backdrop, the Cypriots can find some encouragement in their commendable record of four wins in their last eight away European Championship qualifying matches (L4).