Spain welcome Norway to Malaga’s Estadio La Rosaleda on Saturday as both sides begin their Euro 2024 qualifying campaigns.
The Spaniards are the bookies’ favourites to win Group A, while Norway are expected to outperform Cyprus, Georgia and Scotland to clinch the second qualification spot.
Can La Roja kick-start their qualifying campaign on a high note? Or will the Norwegians spring a surprise in Malaga? It’s time to take a closer look at both sides.
Let’s start with the hosts, Spain, who are under new management as Luis de la Fuente replaced Luis Enrique after the World Cup.
Spain endured a tournament to forget in Qatar, winning one of their three group games before falling to Morocco in the last 16.
It is worth noting, however, that La Roja have only lost two of their past 15 matches inside 90 minutes, picking up nine wins and four draws along the way.
On top of that, Spain have won each of their previous 20 home European Championship qualifiers, highlighting their strength on home soil.
As for Norway, they have managed to win just one of their last four games across all competitions, recording two losses and one draw in the process.
That said, Norway’s recent European Championship qualification record is strong, as they have only lost one of their last 10 Euro qualifiers.
It is also worth noting that the Norwegians have scored at least one goal in each of their past 12 European Championship qualifiers.
However, Stale Solbakken’s side could struggle to compete with Spain’s might as star striker Erling Haaland has withdrawn from the squad due to injury.
Head-to-head: Spain and Norway were in the same qualifying group for Euro 2020. After winning 2-1 at home, Spain held Norway to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture.
Across eight meetings over the years, Spain have claimed five victories, while Norway have managed a solitary win back in 2000.
Team news: Kepa Arrizabalaga has returned to the Spain squad, while Martin Zubimendi, David Garcia and Joselu Mato have all been handed debut call-ups.
Without the injured Erling Haaland, Norway will rely on the likes of Martin Odegaard, Alexander Sorloth and Mohamed Elyounoussi to create an attacking spark.
Ultimately, Spain are expected to flex their muscles on home soil and make light work of a weakened Norway side.
Forebet predicts that Spain will secure a high-scoring victory on Saturday, with the hosts scoring over 2.5 goals while keeping a clean sheet.