World Cup qualifier warning! Italian defense line collapse crisis, can Haaland hit Nordic night?

003 Norway vs Italy

Team situation

Italy's expedition to Norway this time can be said to have encountered a rare "defense doom" since its founding. The main central defender suffered consecutive injuries and retreated, Buonjoerno's right thigh strain and Gabiya's calf muscle contusion, and he directly withdrew from the national team training. The more fatal blow came from Archerby's "refusing to call", the 37-year-old Inter Milan's iron gate blatantly refused to play for the country on the grounds that it "was not valued by the coach." You know, it was he who successfully frozen Haaland in the Champions League. Now the lack of this key barrier has instantly reduced the Italian defense line to a "sieve". In desperation, Spaletti had to urgently recruit Rugani, who had been out of control for a long time. The central defender, who was loaned to Ajax, has not been selected for the national team in the past seven years, and has averaging only 0.6 steals per game, and his defensive data is even worse than that of young players. Whether it is Bastoni's partner Gati who has been recovered from injury or the 21-year-old Verona freshman Coppola, this temporary patchwork of defense will face crazy impacts from powerful forwards such as Haaland and Sollot.

Setting ball defense is Italy's "fatal weakness". In the last 8 games, they have conceded 11 goals in set pieces and have conceded up to 1.37 goals per game! Spaletti admitted at a press conference: "We must solve the problem of high-altitude defense, but time is very tight." Faced with the high-altitude bombing tactics that Norwegian team is good at, this defense line that lacks altitude and tacit understanding may become the opponent's breakthrough again. The offensive end also came bad news. Keane, who was second in the Serie A scorer list, withdrew from the game due to a muscle injury, which directly weakened the team's forward firepower. Currently, Italy's offense relies too much on the dual-core drive of Tonali and Barrera. Once this pair of midfield combination is targeted by Norway, the team's offense is likely to be paralyzed.

In contrast, the Norwegian team is in its best period since its founding. The World Cup qualifiers started with two consecutive victories, scored 9 goals and conceded only 2 goals, leading the group with a goal difference of +7, showing terrifying offensive firepower. The offensive end is a "luxury configuration", and the "Temini" composed of Haaland and Odegao is very powerful. Haaland National team scored 40 goals in 41 games, and its efficiency averaged nearly 1 goal per game is staggering. After returning from injury, he was in a hot state and scored goals against Moldova and Israel. As the midfield commander, Odegao has excellent passing vision and organizational ability, and can accurately find his forward teammates. Coupled with new players such as Sollot and Noosa, Norway's offensive system is both strength and vitality.

Home battle is Norway's "winning magic weapon". At the home court of the Devils in Oslo, they beat Moldova 5-0 and defeated Israel 4-2. Especially the battle against Israel is full of gold - the latter once had a 1-0 home start in the UEFA League A-level match. The fanatical cheers from the fans on the scene will become the most powerful "twelfth man" of the Norwegian team.

Result prediction

From all aspects, Italy's away game is more likely to be successful. The incomplete defense line, the sluggish morale, and the injuries of core players have all put the team in a desperate situation. Norway team is in good shape, has a neat lineup, and has the advantage of home court, so it has the ability to compete with Italy. Norwegian team is expected to be invincible.