National team coach Ståle Solbakken has selected his men for the opening of the Nations League.
1 of 2Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB
Published: 27.08.2024 12:10 | Updated: 27.08.2024 14:12
There were two new names in the form of Brann player Felix Horn Myhre (25) and Bodø/Glimt player Fredrik Sjøvold (21).
– He is a very good relationship player and often gets into scoring positions, says Solbakken about the selection of Horn Myhre – adding that the Brann player has been under scrutiny for a long time.
Here is the full squad:
Facts
The squad against Kazakhstan and Austria
Goalkeepers: Mathias Dyngeland, Ørjan Håskjold Nyland, Egil Selvik
Defenders: Kristoffer Ajer, Fredrik Bjørkan, Jesper Daland, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Julian Ryerson, Fredrik Sjøvold, David Møller Wolfe, Leo Skiri Østigård
Midfielders: Patrick Berg, Sander Berge, Aron Dønnum, Felix Horn Myhre, Antonio Nusa, Osame Sahraoui, Kristian Thorstvedt, Morten Thorsby, Martin Ødegaard
Forwards: Erling Braut Haaland, Jørgen Strand Larsen, Alexander Sørloth
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Both Horn Myhre and Sjøvold have impressed in the Champions League and Conference League qualifiers this summer. The selection of the latter was perhaps more surprising.
– Fredrik has been doing very well for a long period. I saw the match against Red Star, where he played against a tricky winger who is good one-on-one, but he completely took him out of the game. That confirmed to me that he can handle it, says Solbakken about Sjøvold.
There was also some excitement surrounding the selection of Osame Sahraoui.
The newly signed Lille player is also eligible to play for the Moroccan national team – and recently there have been reports that they want to call him up.
– He has been with us for the last three or four camps, but has had to withdraw from two or three due to injuries. We have tried to include him regularly, but he has been dealing with minor issues all the time. Now he has moved to a tougher league that is much more physical and has better teams, says Solbakken.
At the same press conference, it became clear that Slavia Prague player Christos Zafeiris has chosen to play for Greece’s national team.
The men’s national team begins the Nations League with an away match against Kazakhstan in Almaty on September 6, before Austria visits Ullevaal stadium on September 9. Slovenia is the last team in Norway’s group.
Norway competes in League B, which is the second highest level in the Nations League. The Nations League will be played in its entirety this fall with a final tournament in June 2025.
Next year will also see a new World Cup qualifying round.
The Nations League could later serve as a backdoor entry into the 2026 World Cup – if Norway does not qualify directly for the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Facts
Why the Nations League is important for Norway
- If Norway wins the group in the Nations League – competing against Austria, Slovenia, and Kazakhstan – they can qualify for the World Cup through a playoff if they do not succeed in the regular World Cup qualifiers.
- In the playoff, one can qualify by either:
- Finishing second in the World Cup qualifying group.
- Being among the four best Nations League group winners who have not already qualified for the World Cup or finished second in the World Cup qualifiers.
- These 16 teams will meet in semifinals and finals, both single-elimination matches, where the four remaining winners qualify for the World Cup.
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