Italy vs Norway Tips & Preview - Rivals to serve up thrilling contest

By Tolu Shotade

1 hour ago

Tolu Shotade 1 hour ago

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Italy and Norway meet in their final Group I World Cup qualifier.
Norway aiming for a perfect campaign; Italy looks to end on a high.
Expect a high-scoring match with formidable attacks from both sides.

Italy vs Norway

Italy host Norway in their final Group I fixture in the UEFA World Cup qualifiers, with both teams looking to end their campaign on a high.

Both teams are guaranteed a top-two finish, with the Swedes effectively sealing a place in next year's tournament in North America, due to a massive 17-goal difference. With the rivals likely to be fired up for this one, a thrilling contest could be expected here.

Italy News

Italy have looked a different side under manager Gennaro Gattuso and have won their last six qualifying matches. They claimed a 2-0 away victory at Moldova in their previous fixture, with Gianluca Mancini and Francesco Esposito getting the goals.

That result leaves Italy second on the table and also means they are guaranteed a playoff place. Sitting three points off top spot, the Italians are still mathematically in with a chance of winning the group, although the massive goal difference makes that unlikely.

Italy have looked sharp going forward lately, scoring over 1.5 goals in their last six qualifying matches, with four of those fixtures producing over 2.5 goals. However, they are without a clean sheet in six of their last 10 matches across all competitions.

Norway News

It has been an impressive qualifying campaign for Norway, who have won all seven of their matches in Group I. They eased to a 4-1 home victory over Estonia last time out, with Erling Haaland and Alexander Sorloth netting a brace each.

That result has effectively secured a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as Norway’s impressive 17-goal difference at the top of the table is unlikely to be overturned. However, the motivation for Stale Solbakken’s team is to end the campaign with a perfect record, and they are likely to be fired up for this one.

Led by Haaland, who has found the net 14 times in six matches, Norway have been one of the best attacks in the qualifiers, scoring 29 goals so far. Four of their last five away matches have produced over 2.5 goals, while they have failed to keep a clean sheet in three of those fixtures.

Head to Head

Italy have five wins and as many draws, while Norway have been victorious three times in the last 13 matches. One of the victories for the Norwegians came in the reverse fixture as they earned a 2-0 home win.

Verdict

Italy v Norway

While the massive goal difference is unlikely to be overturned, Italy will still be keen to end things on a high, while Norway are looking to maintain their perfect record. Both teams will be up for this one, and given their attacking quality, could be backed to score here.

Four of Norway's last five away matches have produced over 2.5 goals, which is likely to be the outcome in Sunday's clash. With Italy scoring over 1.5 goals in their last six qualifying matches, a similar pattern could also be on the cards.

Yes

Both Teams to Score

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Over 2.5

Total Goals

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Italy

Over 1.5 Goals

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