1
Norwegian thunder and lightning
Serbia’s centre-backs will have
their hands full with Norway’s tandem
of devastating centre-forwards: Erling
Haaland and Alexander Sorloth. Last
season, the pair netted 77 club goals,
Haaland registering 44 for Salzburg
and Dortmund, while Sorloth managed
33 in Turkey for Trabzonspor. Starting
together for the first time last month,
they scored two each in a 5-1
demolition of Northern Ireland.
Serbia, you have been warned.2
The Serb creators
While Norway’s front two is packed
with strength and power, Serbia coach
Ljubisa Tumbakovic has at his disposal
some technically exceptional footballers.
Ajax’s outstanding Dusan Tadic, Lazio
superstar Sergej Milinkovic-Savic,
Eintracht Frankfurt dribbler Filip Kostic
and winger Adem Ljajic. The creative
talent in the country can rival all but
the very best teams in Europe.3
Norway’s keeping conundrum
First-choice Norway keeper Rune
Jarstein, has spent the last five seasons
as a starter with Hertha Berlin, but now
finds himself in the shadows at theOlympiastadion, with the newly-arrived
former Freiburg custodian Alexander
Schwolow. Yet, with Aston Villa’s Orjan
Nyland, who made some high-profile
errors at the end of last season alsolikely to be short of match practice,
coach Lars Lagerback has little
choice but to stick withJarstein.4
Different strokes
The contrast in playing styles in this
tie should make for fascinating viewing.
Norway’s back-to-basics 4-4-2, with
the emphasis on athleticism, direct
duels, long balls and set-pieces.
Serbia relying more on fluidity and
finesse, looking to make hay with
lots of positional rotation and frequent
switching of play. The Norwegians
must shut down the Serb passing
lanes and prevent them passing
the ball out from the back.5
Can Mitrovic keep up his
scoring spree?
Fulham spearhead Aleksandar Mitrovic
proved an irresistible force in qualifying
Group B, scoring ten goals in nine
games. He is now within striking
distance of becoming Serbia’s most
prolific marksman ever. The current
record is 38, held by Stjepan Bobek,
with Mitrovic just three behind on- A great natural finisher, his
temperament and attitude can
occasionally let him down.
Norway v Serbia
EURO 2020 PLAY-OFFS PREVIEW | PATH C
Record-chasing...Serbia’s Aleksandar MitrovicDynamic duo...
Haaland and Sorloth
celebrate Norway’s
fifth goal in Belfast