Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard are expected to return for Norway in their World Cup knockout round showdown with Ivory Coast on Tuesday. The Manchester City striker and the Arsenal captain were both rested for Norway’s final game of the group phase, a 4-1 loss to France which saw them finish as runners-up in Group I.
Solbakken Defends Resting Key Players
With qualification for the last-32 already guaranteed before facing France, Stale Solbakken insisted it was a no-brainer to rest Haaland and Odegaard, standing by his decision despite coming on for some criticism.
“It was a no-brainer both on my part, the physio coach, the health and medical, and for some players themselves,” Solbakken explained. “They all said it would be difficult for many of them (to play so soon after facing Senegal), and if some of the players who had played Senegal wouldn’t have been able to play and practice going forward, then the only consideration is taking fans in Norway and here into consideration. They would have wanted to see Erling and Martin but we are here to proceed as long as we can. This decision was not one that took a lot of time for us to think over. The tests, the samples taken, it was the medicals. They decided to take them and they fed back to me.”
Predicted Lineup and Injury Updates
Fully rested, Haaland and Odegaard should come back into a Norway team that mirrors the selection for the two Group I wins over Iraq and Senegal. As such, wholesale changes are likely once again. Egil Selvik had a decent game against France despite conceding four goals, but is set to be replaced in between the posts by Orjan Nyland. Rorbjorn Heggem and Julian Ryerson are both injury doubts, with Marcus Pedersen on standby to replace the latter having played the second half against France.
Fredrik Aursnes was the sole survivor for the France game but should return to his familiar midfield role, joined by Odegaard and Fulham’s Sander Berge. Thelo Aasgaard, Oscar Bobb and Andreas Schjelderup all impressed last time out, though will likely have to settle for a place on the bench as Haaland, Alexander Sorloth and Antonio Nusa are restored in attack.
Match Details
Predicted Norway XI: Nyland; Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Wolfe; Berge, Odegaard, Aursnes; Sorloth, Haaland, Nusa. Doubts: Ryerson, Heggem. Time and date: 6pm BST on Wednesday, June 30, 2026. How to watch: BBC. Venue: Dallas Stadium.
