Prediction: Norway vs Sweden

Prediction: Draw

Best Odds: 9/4

Bookmaker: bet365

The road to UEFA Euro 2020 continues this week, as domestic football takes a back seat for a little while longer. Teams across the continent are putting the necessary pieces in place for their journey to have a successful ending, and it’s been pretty interesting to see how they’ve all developed thus far. There’s still a long way to go before we can reasonably start predicting who is going to make it and who isn’t, but at the very least, we’ve got a series of really intriguing fixtures to enjoy along the way.

Norway

The Norwegians have often been on the outside looking in at the major players in European football, as a nation that are just kind of ‘there’. However, they’ve got a few key players within their ranks right now that can be considered real game changers – as long as they utilise them properly. They’ve got a long way to go before they can be considered contenders in the race for Euro 2020, but their valiant effort against Spain should be cause for optimism.

Team News

Bjorn Johnsen and Ola Kamara are both being tipped to replace Tarik Elyounoussi, with Birger Meling withdrawing from the squad due to injury.

Sweden

Reaching the quarter finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was a huge, huge achievement for Sweden, who were fortunate to even be there in the first place. They may have been knocked out by England in a fairly poor display but they were still able to give a good account of themselves throughout the course of the tournament. All they need to do now is find a way to effectively build on the success they had back in the summer, which as we all know, is going to be easier said than done.

Team News

Mikael Lustig’s injury will likely rule him out, with Emil Forsberg recently withdrawing from the squad. Gustav Svensson is also being tipped to come into the starting XI.

Factors to Consider

• Sweden have won just one of their last seven games against Norway, despite leading the overall head to head 59-24.
• Norway have won three, drawn one and lost two of their last six games.
• Sweden have won three, drawn two and lost one of their last six games.
• Norway have scored six goals and conceded four in their last six games.
• Sweden have scored eight goals and conceded five in their last six games.

Conclusion

Sweden had a great run in the World Cup, but there seems to be something about playing their local rivals that throws them off a little bit. The Norwegians are tight at the back and they know that, which is why they’ll probably try and frustrate the Swedes in this game. We’re predicting a fairly dull encounter from the outsider’s point of view, but in reality, an entertaining goalless draw can go a long way. Both teams will take away a point, which will be a fairly decent result all things considered.

Prediction: Draw

Best Odds: 9/4

Bookmaker: bet365