Wales are set to take on Norway in their third UEFA Nations League group-stage clash this Thursday at Cardiff City Stadium, hoping to get back on the winning trail after a difficult start to their campaign.
The Dragons arrive at this fixture in rough shape, rooted to the foot of their Nations League group table. They have lost both of their opening away games, first edging out a narrow 1-0 defeat against Portugal before suffering a disheartening 2-0 reverse versus Denmark. Under Craig Bellamy, Wales have now gone six matches without a victory in any competition. With results urgently needing to improve, the team will aim to use the support of their home crowd in Cardiff to spark a turnaround in their tournament fortunes.
Bellamy is dealing with a major selection dilemma as his squad has been badly hit by injuries in the wake of those back-to-back losses to Portugal and Denmark. Wales will miss their star attacker Harry Wilson entirely, while centre-back Joe Rodon is ruled out because of a hamstring problem. Making matters worse, forwards Nathan Broadhead and David Brooks, experienced goalkeeper Karl Darlow, and promising young defender Dylan Lawlor have all been sidelined by different physical issues. Given these significant absences in attack, teenage striker Lewis Koumas is making a strong case to come into the side ahead of Kieffer Moore as the main forward.
The headlines in the Norway side are that their two biggest stars start, with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland leading the line and Arsenal‘s Martin Odegaard fit to play in midfield despite concerns over an ankle problem. There are three more Premier League players in Norway’s starting line-up – Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer and Fulham duo Sander Berge and Oscar Bobb.
As is often the case, Craig Bellamy has shuffled his pack as he chases a first win in seven internationals. After six changes in Denmark last Sunday, there are five tonight, with Ben Cabango, Jay Dasilva, Jordan James, Liam Cullen and Lewis Koumas all recalled. Chris Mepham, Connor Roberts, Charlie Savage, Brennan Johnson and Kieffer Moore are the players who make way.
Wales boss Craig Bellamy believes Stale Solbakken’s side will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come. ‘They get to the quarter-finals in the World Cup and you’re really on a surge at the present moment,’ said Bellamy when asked for his assessment by the Norwegian media. ‘You’ve built it in your nation for a number of years, you have two clubs in the Champions League. This is a real surge now and I don’t think it’s going away. How rich your country is, it’s really spending the money in certain areas and in sport, I expect you to be a force for a number of years.’
With 65 goals in his 57 appearances for Norway, it’s understandable why Craig Bellamy described striker Erling Haaland as a ‘machine’. ‘The guy’s a machine. Have you seen his record at international level? He just wants to score,’ said the Wales boss. ‘If you love football, you have to appreciate him. He’s world-class. It’s very rare you have a player who’s this size and has this mobility.’
Questions are being asked of Craig Bellamy and the squad at present. But Ethan Ampadu insists the players continue to have full trust in the head coach’s methods. ‘You aren’t in the team meetings or the dressing room, but if you saw how we train and prepare, you’d see complete belief in what we are doing,’ Ampadu said. The man himself stated in his pre-match press conference that people are right to ask those questions. ‘No, I don’t see it [as] unfair. I see it [as being] as it should be,’ he said. ‘You don’t win and you lose a few games in a row, you should be asked questions.’
The match will kick off at 7:45pm BST on Thursday, 1st October. Fans in the UK can watch the game live without needing a subscription, as it will be shown on BBC Two and S4C.
