As Norway and France prepare to face off for their final World Cup group game on Friday night, both teams don already secure their spot for the next round. But the race for top spot for Group I still dey open, and e go determine who go face a third-placed team from another group, while second place go face the runners-up of Group E, wey fit be Ivory Coast, Ecuador, or Curacao.
For Norway, this World Cup na big return after 28 years wey dem no dey for the global showpiece. Dem don show say dem be formidable side with two wins for two matches. Head coach Stale Solbakken dey aim to at least match their best return of reaching the last 16. With players like Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, betting against them no be smart move.
France, on the other hand, be overwhelming favourites to lift their third World Cup title. Dem show against Iraq why dem be favourites, after dominating 3-0. Didier Deschamps dey leave his position as head coach after this campaign, and he go want to exit on a high note.
This group don feature plenty goals from the start. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland don each record two braces for the first two group games, and dem dey just one goal behind Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot race. Both players expected to be the danger men when these nations meet on Friday night.
Both Norway and France don see their matches produce more than two goals for this competition. Norway last four matches end with the same outcome, while France last 11 internationals see more than two goals scored. Although France register a clean sheet against Iraq, e be their first after conceding exactly one goal for each of their previous six matches. Norway also don see both teams score for each of their last four matches. So both nations likely to score when dem clash for the group decider.
Norway don start this World Cup hungry for glory. Dem get great pairing for Martin Odegaard and Haaland, with the former consistently creating chances for the latter. Odegaard set up Haaland for his second goal against Senegal. The threat dem carry up front be serious, and e be something France never contend with for this competition. Norway open scoring for both their group games, first finding the net just before the half-hour mark against Iraq, and also take lead against Senegal after 43 minutes. Norway finish both matches by winning at half-time and full-time. While that fit be more difficult to achieve here, dem certainly get the quality to hurt France. Furthermore, both Odegaard and Haaland know plenty about William Saliba and Lucas Digne from their experiences against the French back line. For these reasons, e dey well worth backing the Norwegians to find the net first on Friday night.
Selecting a definitive winner for this encounter no be straightforward, especially since both teams don already qualify for the next round. Both head coaches fit opt to rotate their squads slightly. However, that no be guaranteed if dem dey actively chase the top spot for the group. Consequently, we fit witness a more contested match than many expect. While France be clearly the favourites, dem recently suffer a 2-1 defeat against Ivory Coast just before the tournament. The Norwegians go fancy their chances of getting a result based on that and the fact that dem dey currently for excellent form themselves. The Vikings dey unbeaten for their last five games, recording three wins and two draws. Examining their head-to-head history, both sides don register one victory each across their last two meetings. However, those results be preceded by three consecutive draws before Norway secure a 2-1 victory back for 2010. Given Norway dangerous attackers, dem fit surprise France for Massachusetts and claim a point, a result wey go see France top the group.
