Turkey vs Norway

Turkey and Norway will lock horns at the Ülker Stadyumu in a crunch World Cup qualification Group G meeting.

Desperate to reach their first World Cup finals since a memorable third-place finish at the 2002 edition, Turkey suffered a horrendous 6-1 away defeat to the Netherlands in their most recent World Cup qualifier. That reverse was not only Turkey’s first loss in Group G (W3, D2), but it has also seen them tumble to third in the standings, two points adrift of second-placed Norway. Despite that fiasco in Amsterdam, the ‘Crescent-Stars’ can fall back on their free-scoring form in the ongoing qualifying cycle, having netted an average of 3.00 goals per World Cup qualifying match beforehand. Indeed, Senol Gunes’ men have scored 3+ goals in four of their six Group G outings, including a 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture against Norway in March.

Meanwhile, Norway’s ‘revenge mission’ pits them against a side they’ve failed to win against across their last four competitive H2Hs (D1, L3), conceding 2+ goals on all four occasions. However, since the abovementioned defeat in the reverse fixture, the ‘Lions’ have gone unbeaten in their subsequent four World Cup qualifying matches (W3, D1), winning the last two on the trot by at least a two-goal margin. Norway’s recent showings should encourage their bid to ensure their first World Cup finals appearance since 1998, as they take the field level on points with the section-toppers Netherlands. End-to-end action combined with at least one strike on both ends is well on the cards, considering that six of their last nine H2Hs have witnessed both teams score. But Norway will hope to turn the script after winning just twice during that nine-game H2H sequence (D2, L5).