Norway has had a disappointing start to the EURO 2024 qualifiers and will be in a must-win spot Tuesday at home against Cyprus. Can Erling Haaland fire his side to victory?
Bookmaker William Hill is offering enhanced odds at 8.50 for Haaland to score a hat trick in Tuesday’s contest.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: June 19th, 7:00 P.M. (EST)
Haaland has so far scored two hat tricks for Norway and owns a phenomenal record in international football with 22 goals scored in 24 games. After missing the first couple of games with a groin problem, Haaland made a scoring debut in the qualifiers against Scotland on Saturday, but the team succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and now sits on only one point through three games.
Norway has some real world-class talent in Haaland and Martin Odegaard, but the team’s lack of overall depth meant that they missed out on the 2022 World Cup and the chances to qualify for the Euros have also taken a major hit. However, there’s still a chance to turn things around and it must start with a good performance and three points Tuesday night in Oslo.
Cyprus must also be disappointed by the start to the qualifiers as the team is without a single point through its first two outings. They opened the campaign with a 3-0 away loss to Scotland and suffered a 2-1 home loss versus Georgia at the weekend. Manager Temuri Ketsbaia was very frustrated with the defeat against his home country and it will be interesting to see what kind of reaction he gets from the team Tuesday.
The Cyprus team hasn’t achieved much on the international stage and Ketsbaia has also endured mixed results with the side so far. He had a very successful debut at the helm, beating Greece 1-0, but four of the seven games played under him have ended in defeats. The defense has been very leaky, with even Kosovo putting five past the Cypriots, and with the team now facing the best center forward in the world, things could turn very ugly if the players aren’t ready to battle for every ball.
Luckily for Ketsbaia and Cyprus, the visitors might not face a 100 percent fit Haaland on Tuesday. He asked to be substituted against Scotland, with Norway manager Stale Solbakken noting after the game that he even kept the Manchester City star on the pitch for 10-12 minutes longer than he should have. Haaland’s potentially limited role would greatly improve Cyprus’ chances in Tuesday’s clash.
