Norway
Norway will look to pave a road deep into the World Cup, although a rough road it is likely to be. The Norwegian football team have been in very good form over the past couple of years, however that is nothing compared to the world beaters they were at the turn of the century. Former Olympic, European Cup and World Cup champions, the Nordic nation only have distant memories of such successes as 19 years have passed since their last tournament victory. Achieving their long awaited return to success may be more difficult than ever, as tournament hosts, France headline their group alongside 14th ranked South Korea and African champions Nigeria. A recent hiccup against the lower ranked New Zealand, where Norway suffered a catastrophic loss against the Kiwis, does not bode well for the confidence of the underperforming Nordic nation. Norway are definitely capable of making an impact however, with an excellent mix of experience and youth as well as a large amount of depth in all key areas allowing them to adapt to all different situations. Definitely a side to watch come their first game against Nigeria.
PREDICTION: Group: 2nd Overall: Quarter Final
Fact: Norway’s Scandinavian neighbours Denmark were arguably the team hardest done by for not qualifying for the World Cup. With their rivals over the Oresund Sweden in their qualifying group, a dispute with their federation led to the Danish forfeiting their away fixture to Sweden. If Denmark were to win (a big if) they would have finished first ahead of the Swedes. Instead they went through to the playoffs in second place and were promptly disposed of by Netherlands in a rematch from the Euro 2017 final.
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