Norway vs Czech Republic

Ullevaal Stadion is the venue as Norway and the Czech Republic go head-to-head in an exciting international friendly.

Norway’s football suffered another hammer blow during Euro 2024 qualifying, as finishing behind Spain and Scotland condemned them to miss out on a 12th consecutive major international tournament. But with stars like Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland headlining the squad, the Norwegians could still return to the big scene. Stale Solbakken’s men have excelled in recent friendlies, winning ten of their last 12 such fixtures (D1, L1) while keeping seven clean sheets in that sequence. However, taking on the Czech Republic could hinder that record, with Norway only winning once in their eight previous H2Hs (D3, L4), courtesy of a 3-0 triumph in a friendly in 2011.

Unlike Norway, the Czechs will appear in Germany after landing a place in a competitive-looking Group F alongside Portugal, Turkey, and a nation yet to reach the tournament via qualifying playoffs. One of the Czechs’ best features during their successful qualifying campaign was a rock-solid backline, as they only conceded six times in eight matches. It’s also worth noting that half of those goals came in a 3-0 demolition at the hands of Albania. That dreadful result came away from home, compounding the visitors’ problems on the road, where they’ve only racked up two wins across their last 12 internationals (D4, L6). Indeed, their confidence might be low after they’ve gone winless on three consecutive travels in the build-up to this trip (D2, L1).