The knockout rounds have arrived at Dallas Stadium.
Ivory Coast and Norway meet Tuesday in the first Round of 32 match in North Texas, and the stakes couldn’t be cleaner…one team goes home, one faces the winner of Brazil and Japan in the Round of 16.
Ivory Coast made history just by getting here, advancing to the knockout rounds for the first time in their history after finishing second in Group E. Norway finished second in Group I, losing only to group winners France.
Oh, and Erling Haaland was rested in Norway’s final group game. He’s ready to go today.
Here’s what you need to know.
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Lineups
Three Things to Watch
Haaland Rested, Hungry, and About to Remind Everyone Why He’s Terrifying
Haaland has been Norway’s top scorer with four goals in the group stage despite being rested for the final game against France. Four goals in two games. Sat out a third. Now it’s knockout football. Haaland still has goals to score in this tournament and will likely be the focal point for the Norwegian attack. He’s got good help, too. Martin Odegaard, Alexander Sorloth, and Antonio Nusa will be there to help provide some assistance. Watch the service into Haaland in the first 20 minutes. If Norway’s wide players find him early, this could get ugly fast for Ivory Coast.
Diallo Is Ivory Coast’s Wildcard — And He Might Start This Time
Amad Diallo was a surprise omission from Ivory Coast’s starting lineup against Ecuador. He then came off the bench and scored a late winner. When he is on his game, Ivory Coast is tough to beat. Diallo offers blister pace and can burn teams along the wings. He’s exactly the kind of threat that Norway struggles to defend against (just see their loss against France as example).
Ivory Coast’s Midfield Has to Win Its Battle — Everything Else Flows From There
If Ivory Coast can win the midfield battle with their physical play against Norway’s press and limit the supply into Haaland, they’ll have enough attacking quality to hurt Norway on the counter. If Norway bypasses their midfield (which I think they could do in this one), and gets Haaland into dangerous spots early, Ivory Coast could be looking at an early exit.
The Vibe Check
Am I solely here for the Viking Row? Maybe. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about that. There is definitely more red in the stands before kickoff than the green and orange for Ivory Coast.
The Call
With the way Norway rotated in their final group game against France, I think we’ll see that rest play a factor and they come out on top. This should be one of the best knockout round games either way, Norway wins, 3-2.
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