Published Jun 7, 1:07pm ET by
Demilade Adelekun - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Jun 7, 1:07pm ET
Credit: Shutterstock
Updated Jun 7, 1:07pm ET
Norway and Senegal meet on matchday 2 of Group I at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, in what is likely the group's defining fixture.
Erling Haaland makes his World Cup debut having scored 55 international goals.
Erling Haaland is 25 years old and has never played a competitive game at a senior international tournament. That changes here. He scored 16 goals in eight qualifying matches and carries 55 international goals into the tournament, Norway's all-time record. Martin Ødegaard captains from midfield off an Arsenal season where he won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years. Sander Berge runs the defensive shape from Fulham, recycling possession and protecting the back four so Ødegaard can push forward. Antonio Nusa at 20 is the kind of wide forward who makes defenders nervous just by receiving the ball.
Norway won every qualifying match. Eight games, eight wins, 37 goals, five conceded. That's the best qualifying record in UEFA, ahead of Italy who they beat home and away. The concern is that their March friendlies against the Netherlands and Switzerland exposed real defensive vulnerabilities — they conceded five big chances against a Dutch side not at full strength. Against Senegal's pace in behind, that matters.
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Sadio Mané is 34 and arriving at his third World Cup with 55 international goals and 127 caps. He won the Africa Cup of Nations. He had the best years of his career at Liverpool before moving on, and he is still the emotional spine of this squad. Behind him, Pape Matar Sarr runs midfield from Tottenham with the energy and range of someone who has been doing it at Premier League level for three years. Lamine Camara operates alongside him at Monaco. Nicolas Jackson leads the line for Bayern Munich. Kalidou Koulibaly anchors the defence at 34 with the experience of a player who has played every big match there is.
Senegal beat France's 2002 World Cup squad in that tournament's opening game. They know how to beat good teams when the stakes are highest. Their wide attackers (Ismaïla Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye) carry enough pace to punish Norway's high line on the counter. This is not a team that will sit back and hope. They press, they transition, and they have enough quality throughout to make Norway's back four uncomfortable for 90 minutes.
Haaland and Ødegaard against Mané and Pape Matar Sarr. This is the best matchup in Group I. Norway's attack is the edge here at plus money; the value is real. Senegal can hurt them on the counter, but Norway's firepower is too much to contain for a full game. We're backing Norway +115.
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Pick
Norway +115
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