Erling Haaland’s Norway will look to continue their impressive start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup as they lock horns with Senegal, who are looking to stay afloat in this tournament following their opening-game defeat to France.
For the game, here we present our preview and prediction.
Norway could not have asked for a better start to mark their first World Cup finals in 28 years as they emerged 4–1 victors against Iraq, with talisman Erling Haaland leading the way with his first goals in the tournament.
The Norwegians were athletic, robust, and relentlessly aggressive in the press as they made life miserable for Iraq with their intensity. Haaland led from the front as he continued to harry and hassle the Iraqi defenders to no end.
However, Norway were susceptible to direct attacks on the occasions Iraq did take the attack to them. Their defensive third looked shaky at times, and their captain Martin Ødegaard was surprisingly off the pace in the game, albeit he did create the third goal for his side before being subbed off early.
All in all, Norway were good value, but, like Haaland said after the game, they can be better. And he is not wrong with that assessment.
Senegal, meanwhile, will take heart from their performance despite being on the wrong end of a 3–1 scoreline against France. They looked to be evenly matched against France for the first 60 minutes, used their direct running and physicality to good effect, and created chances that put the France backline under pressure.
However, striker Nicolas Jackson will have to be much better than he was against Les Bleus. He seemed to be perpetually offside and unable to time his runs to perfection. Ismaïla Sarr was lively but faded later on in the game, while Iliman Ndiaye came off the bench, when starting him could have been a better option.
This clash looks to be an equal one on paper. Senegal are a much better side in terms of quality and technical ability than Iraq, and as such will not wilt under pressure from Norway. At the same time, Norway will know that Senegal’s direct style of play will put their shaky backline under significant duress. It will all come down to which side are able to take better advantage of the opposition’s shortcomings.
We believe that Senegal will be the favourites in what is definitely going to be a close and tightly fought battle between two really good sides.
Score Prediction: Norway 1–2 Senegal
Venue: New York New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
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