Scotland vs Norway

Hampden Park is the venue as Scotland and Norway go head-to-head in their last Euro 2024 qualifying assignment.

Having ended a 24-year absence from the Euro finals in 2020, Scotland are bracing themselves for back-to-back appearances at the tournament after securing qualification with games to spare. But complacency seems to have got the better of Steve Clarke’s men as they’ve gone winless in four consecutive internationals since getting the job done in Group A (D1, L3), including a goal-glutted 2-2 draw against Georgia in midweek. With injured captain Andy Robertson, Scotland’s defensive woes have come to the fore, with the ‘Tartan Army’ conceding 2+ goals in four consecutive outings in the build-up to this encounter, having registered four clean sheets in five prior matches. If it’s any consolation, they’ve won their last two meetings with Norway by a single-goal margin.

Meanwhile, Manchester City ace Erling Haaland won’t appear at next summer’s competition in Germany after Norway’s indifferent record in Group A (W3, D1, L3) deprived them of qualification hopes going into the final round. Stale Solbakken’s side slipped to a frustrating 1-0 home loss to section-leaders Spain last time out, relinquishing a three-game winning streak in Euro qualifiers in a game marking their first scoring blank in September 2022. However, they’ve quickly recovered with a 2-0 friendly win over sub-par Faroe Islands in midweek, inspiring confidence within the traveling camp regarding the prospect of improving a perfectly-balanced five-game form on hostile turf (W2, D1, L2).