Nations League | League B

Nov 17, 2024 at 5pm UK

Ullevaal Stadion

Norwayvs.Kazakhstan

Match preview

Norway's fantastic 4-1 win away in Slovenia on Thursday means they're guaranteed to finish above Matjaz Kek's side, no matter what happens on matchday six.

That means they'll definitely finish in the top two, but their goal is to be number one. Stale Solbakken's team is currently tied with Austria for the lead.

However, the 5-1 defeat they suffered in Austria last month means the current group leaders have the edge on head-to-head.

What's a bit strange is that no matter what happens here in Oslo, if Austria lose to Slovenia, Norway will win the group. If all three teams finish on 10 points, their overall three-team head-to-head record will be superior.

After three years in League B, the goal is to get promoted. With the players Solbakken has at his disposal, the Norwegian supporters believe they can do it.

The big win in Slovenia wrapped up a busy set of away games for Norway in this group. They also lost badly in Austria and were the only team to drop points to Kazakhstan.

On home turf, Norway have been impressive, beating their two promotion rivals. However, the inconsistency of results across all venues is exactly why they continue to miss out on major tournaments.

Solbakken hasn't been a popular figure in recent years, and it's unclear whether he'll be guiding the team in the 2026 World Cup qualifying next year. One thing is for sure, though: fans are getting impatient.

I'm sure any neutral observers will be hoping for a bit more entertainment than what was produced in the reverse fixture – a 0-0 draw in Almaty where Norway managed just one shot on target and Kazakhstan's xG was below 0.1.

Since that promising matchday one draw, though, Kazakhstan have been pretty abysmal. They haven't been coping well with the increased level of competition since their promotion from League C.

Andorra are the only other side in the UNL without a goal to their name. That stat looks even worse when you consider that Andorra have only played twice, compared to Kazakhstan's five.

Since beating San Marino on matchday nine of Euro 2024 qualifying, Stanislav Cherchesov's team have played 11 matches, including friendlies, and lost nine. The only win came against Turkmenistan in March.

Recent Performance

Norway Nations League form:DWWLW

Norway form (all competitions):LDWWLW

Kazakhstan Nations League form:DLLLL

Kazakhstan form (all competitions):LDLLLL

Team News

Norway captain Martin Odegaard wasn't risked for this international window. The Arsenal midfielder only recently returned from a two-month absence, so he's still on the sidelines with many other members of the squad, including Oscar Bobb, Hugo Vetlesen, and goalkeeper Orjan Nyland.

Nyland's absence means Norway's options in goal are all inexperienced, but Egil Selvik has been the man deputising of late and should win a fourth cap here.

Selvik will have to deal with some injury issues, though, as Norway is without defensive trio Kristoffer Ajer, Andreas Hanche-Olsen and David Moller Wolfe due to injury.

On the pitch, Erling Haaland scored his 35th international goal in just his 38th cap against Slovenia, while Antonio Nusa scored three times for Norway in one night, scoring a brace in Ljubljana last week.

Kazakhstan will be without experienced defender Aleksandr Marochkin after he was sent off inside 25 minutes for a professional foul in the home defeat with Austria on Thursday. With Nuraly Alip not part of the squad, Adilbek Zhumakhanov could be the man to replace him.

Bauyrzhan Islamkhan will be hoping to get more time on the pitch here, as he was the player sacrificed following that red card. Meanwhile, Bakhtiyor Zaynutdinov will just be grateful for the game time he's getting with the national team, as the midfielder is currently out of the picture at Besiktas.

Possible starting lineup

Norway possible starting lineup:

Selvik; Pedersen, Ostigard, Heggem, Ryerson; Donnum, Berge, Johnsen; Sorloth, Haaland, Nusa

Kazakhstan possible starting lineup:

Pokatilov; Astanov, Kasym, Darabayev, Zhumakhanov, Vorogovskiy; Islamkhan, Zaynutdinov, Tagybergen, Samorodov; Aymbetov