Prediction: Norway vs England

25th May 2012

Roy Hodgson’s England face a tough task in their first warm-up game for the Euro 2012, with an away game against very good Norway side expected to be anything but a walk in the park. The Three Lions staff are sweating over the fitness of several important players ahead of the major tournament, while the Scandinavians are as carefree as can be.

After Norway took just two points from their first three 2010 World Cup qualifiers, legendary boss Egil ‘Drillo’ Olsen was once again called to the rescue, but in spite of the huge uptrend in team’s form, there simply wasn’t enough time for the Norwegians to get back into contention for a place in South Africa. The Scandinavians continued to impress under Olsen, winning five of six friendly games before the start of the Euro 2012 qualifiers, before recording three straight wins at the start of the qualifying campaign. However, in spite of some impressive performances, Norway once again missed out on the place at a major tournament, this time by virtue of inferior goal difference. Even so, the players can be proud of how they fared against some of the best national teams in the world, and they now aim to prove their worth against very good England side. With no real stars in the squad, but with an excellent team spirit, the hosts look like they can make life difficult to injury-plagued Three Lions. Boss Egil Olsen has no major injury worries, although Havard Nordtveit and Thomas Rogne are sidelined.

England’s Euro 2012 preparations had a pretty controversial start when Roy Hodgson, a manager famous for his success with so called small clubs, was appointed head coach of the Three Lions and his first squad selection was always going to raise some eyebrows. The former West Brom manager opted to name his final squad for the European Championship well ahead of the deadline, but it is now clear that he will be forced to make several changes. Norwich keeper John Ruddy has been ruled out with a broken finger, whereas Scott Parker remains doubtful even if he has trained on Wednesday. With Glen Johnson and Danny Welbeck unlikely to feature against Norway, Hodgson has called Martin Kelly to the squad, but Phil Johnson is expected to be preferred at right-back. Wayne Rooney misses out with a toe injury, whereas Chelsea trio of Lampard, Terry and Cole is not in contention for the game in Oslo. All things considered, England could be in for a difficult night in Norway and anything but an impressive performance is unlikely to prove enough for a win.

Conclusion

Norway have come a long way over the last couple of years and they are eager to prove they have what it takes to match top European side. On the other hand, nobody really knows how England will look like under Roy Hodgson, and with so many players missing or doubtful, I doubt the Three Lions can win in Oslo.

Verdict: Draw (X)

Best Odds: 12/5

Bookmaker: BetVictor