Did Stale Solbakken’s gamble pay off? In retrospect there was a compelling case to be made for what the Norway head coach did in the final round of games in Group I as the World Cup group stage concluded. On the form France had found, it was possible they might just have steamrolled any XI that Solbakken rolled out. Better to field the B team, settle for second place and shield his best players from any blow to momentum and, much more significantly, injuries.The Norway head coach has, however, played a dangerous game by landing his side with a round of 32 tie against Ivory Coast, the starting point in what looks like one of the trickiest sides of the bracket. Get past Yan Diomande and company and up next will be Brazil, then potentially England or Mexico. This is doing things the hard way.
Then again, the one thing Norway need not fear is whether they have the talent to go head-to-head with the best. Especially in forward areas, they have looked very much at home in their first major tournament since 2000. With four goals, Erling Haaland is in the Golden Boot race even after missing the defeat to France. It says everything of the standards Martin Odegaard has been setting for club and country that there are questions over his form with Norway even as he has delivered two assists. Out wide, Andreas Schjelderup and Julian Ryerson are adding further threat.
“Erling and Martin are team players; they know what is best for the team,” mentioned Solbakken after defeat to France. “The fans want to see them, but hopefully, we can give them some good summer nights in the next few weeks.
“We have given the fans a couple of victories and the opportunity to watch more games, and that’s what we are here for. We are not a naïve country here just for fun. We want to stay here as long as we can, so it was a no-brainer.”
However, one wonders whether Norway have the sort of weapons that might better have suited matchups against France’s opponent in the round of 32 and probable round of 16 matchup — Sweden and Paraguay — both of whom have undeniably thinner resumes for Haaland to take aim at. You would not say that of Ivory Coast, where veterans Seko Fofana and Franck Kessie do a fine job of shielding the midfield and causing problems for a striker.
It rather looks like the Ivorians are a particularly tricky matchup for Norway. Diomande against David Moller Wolfe or Ryerson promises another $10 million being tacked on the price RB Leipzig can demand for his services. Add the likes of Nicolas Pepe and Amad Diallo to the flanks and you have an opponent that looks a tricky matchup. Of course there might well have been nothing Solbakken could have done. Name your best team, lose to France anyway and enter the same scenario with more tired legs. If it does all go wrong for the most fancied of the European dark horses, though, then Norway’s manager may well be wondering if he might have tried harder to get out of Ivory Coast’s way.
Viewing information
Date: Saturday, June 27 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas
TV: Fox One (Eng), Universo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: Ivory Coast +250; Draw +240; Norway +100
Ivory Coast vs. Norway predicted starting lineups
Ivory Coast: Yahia Fofana; Wilfried Singo, Odilon Kossounou, Emmanuel Agbadou, Ghislain Konan; Ibrahima Sangare, Franck Kessie, Seko Fofana; Nicolas Pepe, Elye Wahi, Yan Diomande
Norway: Orjan Nyland; Julian Ryerson, Kristoffer Ajer, Torbjorn Heggem, David Moller Wolfe; Frederik Aursnes, Sander Berge; Alexander Sorloth, Martin Odegaard, Antonio Nusa; Erling Haaland
Ivory Coast vs. Norway pick, prediction
Norway might have the elite striker, but there is such depth in the Ivory Coast squad, such that Emerse Fae really can tailor his selection to best stifle and attack Norway. They might just have the weapons for a shock win over the established underdogs of this tournament. Pick: Ivory Coast 2, Norway 1
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