Northern Ireland vs. Norway 9/7/20 UEFA Nations League Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Northern Ireland is welcoming Norway to Windsor Park in round 2 in the UEFA Nations League.

Northern Ireland has had some good games in the Euro Cup qualifications, but unfortunately for them, it wasn’t enough to get to the Euro Cup. Lucky for Northern Ireland, they still have a shot at getting to the Euro Cup through the Qualification Playoffs where they will face Bosnia next year. In their latest match against Romani on the road, Northern Ireland was the weaker team with only 28% of ball possession, 3 shots on goal, 0 corner kicks, 1 big chance created, and low 62% of the correct passes. Northern Ireland was losing 1-0 at the half time, and they were playing with one player less for the entire second half, but Northern Ireland was still able to score a goal in the 86th minute. This match ended in a 1-1 draw. Gavin Whyte is the only goalscorer for Northern Ireland so far, while Lafferty has 1 assist. Josh Magennis will not be playing in this game because of the red card he conceded against Romania. Northern Ireland has shown great progress over the last couple of years, but they will need to play their best soccer yet to beat Bosnia and to qualify for the Euro Cup.

Norway has lost only 1 match in the Euro Cup qualifications, but they had too many draws, and Norway ended in third place with 17 points, which is remarkable if you consider that Croatia won their group with 17 points. Norway still has a shot at getting to the Euro Cup, but they will need to beat Serbia next year. Norway was decent in their match against Austria a few days ago with 40% of ball possession, 1 shot on goal, 1 corner kick, 1 big chance created, and 71% of the correct passes. Early in the second half, Norway was losing 0-2, but Haaland scored a goal for Norway in the 66th minute. Norway has lost this match 1-2. Haaland is definitely the biggest star in Norway’s team, and he has scored the only goal so far, but that is not nearly enough for Norway to get more wins. Sure, Norway is still missing Odegaard in the roster, but I wonder how much he can improve their game. Sorloth added 1 assist for Norway so far. Norway is a good team, but they will have a hard time against Serbia to get qualified for the Euro cup, even if Odegaard will play. Of course. A lot can change until then, and anything is possible in soccer.

The trends are on Norway’s side in this matchup, and we usually see a lot of goals when these two teams meet. Northern Ireland has shown a ton of character in their first game, while Norway scored a goal despite being dominated in their first game. I think we could see goals once again in this match.