Netherlands is hosting Norway at e Kuip in the decisive match of round 10 of Group G in the UEFA World Cup Qualifications. Netherlands is at the top right now, but with a loss here, they could be staying home. Norway can still qualify even though they are in 3rd place, but they need a win here to stay in play.
Overall, Netherlands has been the best team in this group with 31 scored goals, 8 conceded goals, and they deserve to qualify, but that doesn’t always happen. In their last game against Montenegro, Netherlands has had 74% of ball possession, 3 shots on goal, 1 corner kick, 2 big chances created, and 75% of the correct passes. Netherlands was leading 0-2, until the 82nd minute when they conceded the first goal. In the 86th minute, Netherlands has conceded another goal, and they have complicated their situation with a 2-2 draw. Depay has been outstanding for Netherlands with 11 goals. This is a solid team, they are scoring a lot, but their defense tends to get a bit shaky, and it might cost them in these qualifications, or in the World Cup if they qualify.
Norway is a good team, they are improving, but without Haaland, their offense is kinda dull. Norway has scored a solid 15 goals so far in these qualifications, and their defense has been the best with only 6 conceded goals. In their last game against Latvia at home, Norway has had a chance to secure second place, or even take over the top spot, but they gambled it away. Norway was dominant in that match with 72% of ball possession, 5 shots on goal, 9 corner kicks, 3 big chances created, and 83% of the correct passes. As I’ve said, without Haaland, this Norway’s offense is dull, and they weren’t able to score in this game. The final score was 0-0. With 5 scored goals, Haaland is the leading goalscorer for Norway in these qualifications. Overall, I think Norway is a great team, I think they are constantly improving, and they have a bright future ahead, but in this game, they will need to score more than 1 goal to get a positive result.
This is a game that reeks of goals, and that is what I will take. Both teams need a positive result, and while Norway needs a win, Netherlands doesn’t need to rush because the draw is enough for them. I’m taking goals.