As the first snow of the season falls in Oslo, the clean-up operation at Norway's home stadium is in full swing – tractors on the pitch, Norwegian Football Federation staff getting stuck in with their shovels. This has been a problematic pitch in the past, with even the great Erling Haaland questioning its condition, external back in March, before it was fixed during the summer. By their recent, historic high standards, Norway need something of a repair job themselves.
Having gone through 2025 unbeaten and then soared to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, Norway have lost three games in a row for the first time in a decade. Granted, two of those were against Portugal, whereas their losing run in 2016 included defeats in Azerbaijan and Belarus. But this is Norway's golden generation.
With Haaland, Martin Odegaard and a glut of other elite talents at their disposal, expectations are greater than ever. Thumping Italy twice on their way to World Cup qualification was one thing – their first major tournament since 1998 – but beating Brazil in their last-16 tie in New Jersey underlined their credentials as an emerging force in international football. So, when this Nations League campaign came around, Stale Solbakken's men were expected to be jostling with Portugal for top spot.
Instead, they find themselves at the bottom of Group A4 with just one win from four games, level with third-placed Wales on three points but below them because of their head-to-head record. Live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Two Wales, BBC Sounds, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC Sport website and app, plus live text commentary. Wales show how it's done Odegaard backing Norway to avenge Wales defeat Wales' only victory of the campaign so far was against Norway in Cardiff a month ago, and on Saturday they are bidding to join Portugal and world champions Spain as the only teams to win competitive matches in Oslo over the past three years.
"The way we look at it is this is the type of game we want to be playing in," Wales head coach Craig Bellamy tells BBC Sport Wales. "I see a collective team that you have to like but, individually, very much so as well. So that's a good challenge.
"We've all been aware of their threat. The World Cup proved that. And I just don't see them going anywhere for the next five, 10 years either." There is much on the line for Wales and Norway in Oslo.
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