Scotland have been forced to withdraw from a scheduled behind-closed-doors friendly against Norway due to injuries, according to Norwegian FA officials. The match was intended as a final warm-up before Scotland's crucial Group C World Cup opener against Haiti.
Scotland's World Cup Preparations
Steve Clarke's side had been preparing for the tournament with a morale-boosting 4-0 victory over Bolivia. After the match, Clarke expressed relief that the team emerged without any new injuries, especially after losing Billy Gilmour to injury in the previous game against Curacao.
The unofficial training match against Norway was scheduled to take place at Scotland's training base in Charlotte. Norway's manager, Stale Solbakken, had revealed the plans months ago and mentioned them again earlier this week.
Norway Confirms Cancellation
Norwegian FA media manager Morten Morisbak Skjonsberg confirmed the cancellation, stating: "It is a poorly kept secret that we were supposed to play a training match against Scotland on Monday. Today we learned that Scotland unfortunately had to withdraw from the agreement due to injuries. Instead, we will train at Greensboro."
Solbakken acknowledged that the cancellation would force him to adjust his plans for Norway's final warm-up match against Morocco, who are also in Scotland's group. He said: "The cancellation means I will make more changes in our game against Morocco. The idea of playing Scotland was that we could get some minutes in the legs of the guys who don't play in the Morocco game."
Scotland will now focus on their opening match against Haiti, with Clarke hoping to have a fully fit squad available for the tournament opener.
