Overview
The Norwegians are off to a strong start in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe. They won two big wins, 5-0 against Moldova and 4-2 against Israel. These results have helped Norway temporarily take the top spot, as Italy has not yet officially participated in the competition due to the previous Nations League schedule.
Therefore, the match against Italy will be an extremely important match for Norway in Group H. Italy is their biggest opponent in the journey to directly win tickets to North America. A positive result could help them consolidate their top position, as well as prepare best before traveling to Estonia.
Meanwhile, Italy has made it clear that it is determined to return to the World Cup arena after 2 consecutive absences. The failure in the Nations League is still not a disaster. They reached the quarter-finals and only lost to Germany after two tense matches.
With Italy in a not-so-difficult group, they can easily win tickets to North America if they play at their best. Their journey began with a trip to Norway.
In this match, Italy needs to be very cautious with the Norwegian pair Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland. If they successfully block these sharps, they can completely think about 3 points.
Italy are currently on a 4-match unbeaten streak against Norway. However, the last meeting between the two teams was a decade ago. Norway have also faced Italy in all three of their World Cup appearances, losing by a single goal.
Personnel situation
The home team did not have many personnel problems. Odegaard and Sander Berge could both start.
On the other side of the front line, Italy coach Luciano Spalletti does not have the strongest squad. They will be without Manuel Locatelli, Matteo Gabbia, Alessandro Buongiorno and Francesco Acerbi in this match.
Expected lineup:
Norway: Nyland, Ryerson, Ajer, Ostigard, Wolfe, Odegaard, Berge, Berg, Schjelderup, Sorloth, Haaland.
Italy: Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Gatti, changeaso, Barella, Ricci, Tonali, Udogie, Retegui, Kean.
The match between Norway and Italy takes place at 1:45 am on June 7 (Vietnam time).
