Norway vs Czech Republic: Betting Odds & Prediction
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Norway host the Czech Republic in an international friendly at Ullevaal Stadion on Friday evening.
The away side look to amp up preparation for the European Championships this summer, though the hosts were unable to secure qualification in Group A. Kick-off is set for 5pm UK time in Oslo.
Recent Form
Norway
Despite the talents of Premier League stars Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland, Norway were unable to secure passage to their first major tournament in 24 years. They were only able to win three of their eight qualifying matches, drawing two and losing three of the other five to finish in third-place. Second-placed Scotland finished six points clear of the Norwegians, while group-toppers Spain led them by ten.
Norway scored 14 goals across the eight matches (1.75 per game), six of which were netted by Haaland, while conceding twelve (1.5 per game).
Their defensive statistics may be a cause for concern for manager Stale Solbakken. With clean sheets in just 20% of their qualifying games, they also averaged an expected goals against (xGA) tally of 1.18 per match.
Norway were first to score in 70% of games during qualification though, and scored at least three goals in 40%. They also scored in both halves in 40%.
Czech Republic
Czechia confirmed their place at EURO 2024 with a second-placed finish in Group E, where they gathered a total of 15 points (W4, D3, L1), level with leaders Albania.
They bagged twelve goals (1.5 per game) while conceding six (0.75 per game) across their eight qualification matches, though their form was slightly lacking on the road. In their four away matches, they only won once while drawing two and losing one of the remaining three games. They also failed to score in two of their four away games during qualification.
Nevertheless, Ivan Hasek's side achieved an xG of 1.83 across the eight matches, which drops to 1.71 on their travels. They particularly impressed in defensive columns; averaging an xGA of just 0.84 on the road.
Prediction
Despite the away side's impressive defensive record, I expect Norway to emerge a narrow winner here in this one in a low-scoring affair, with Haaland and co pushing them over the line.