Luis de la Fuente will take charge of his first match as Spain head coach on Saturday evening, as La Roja face Norway in their opening Euro 2024 qualification fixture.

Spain have not been in action since losing on penalties to Morocco in the last-16 stage of the 2022 World Cup, while Norway last featured in a friendly in November 2022, playing out a 1-1 draw with Finland.

Match preview

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Spain are entering a new era under head coach De la Fuente, who has replaced Luis Enrique at the helm, with the latter leaving following the disappointment of the 2022 World Cup.

La Roja, having reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020, were fancied as a dark horse for the tournament in Qatar, but they were beaten by Morocco on penalties in the round of 16, with the national side struggling to impress in the World Cup since winning the competition in 2010.

Spain's focus is now on securing qualification for Euro 2024, and they have been drawn in Group A alongside Cyprus, Georgia, Norway and Scotland.

In truth, it would be a shock if La Roja did not top this particular section, but it is difficult to know exactly what to expect, as De la Fuente has made wholesale changes to the squad, with the 61-year-old - previously in charge of Spain at Under-19, Under-21 and Under-23 level - determined to make his mark.

Spain will face Norway and Scotland during this particular international break, before turning their attention to the UEFA Nations League, facing Italy in the semi-finals of the competition in the middle of June.

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Norway, meanwhile, failed to qualify for the finals of the 2022 World Cup, and they have not actually been present at the competition since 1998.

The Lions have also been missing from the finals of a European Championship since 2000, which is an indication of the size of the task facing head coach Stale Solbakken.

Norway were last in action towards the end of 2022, playing two friendlies against Republic of Ireland and Finland, beating the former 2-1 before drawing 1-1 with the latter.

Solbakken's side will feel that they are strong enough to claim a top-two position in this section, and the national team will look to standout players Martin Odegaard and Erling Braut Haaland for inspiration, although the latter has been forced to withdraw from the latest squad due to a groin injury.

Norway have won one and lost five of their previous eight matches against Spain, but the points were shared in a 1-1 draw when they last met during qualification for Euro 2020.

Team News

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De la Fuente has kept just 11 members of the Spain squad from the Work Cup, with 15 new faces in the selection, so it will be a much-changed outfit from the competition in Qatar.

David Garcia and Joselu will be hoping to earn their first caps, while Iago Aspas is also back in the squad due to his form for Celta Vigo this season.

David Raya could potentially be given the nod between the sticks due to the absence of Unai Simon through injury, while Pedri has also been forced to withdraw due to a setback in his recovery from a hamstring issue.

Alvaro Morata will captain Spain in at least their next two matches, with the 30-year-old set to lead the line for the home team in this game.

As mentioned, Norway will be without Haaland, who has been forced to withdraw from the squad due to the groin issue that he suffered during Manchester City's 6-0 win over Burnley in the FA Cup last time out.

An extraordinary campaign has seen Haaland score 42 goals in 37 appearances at club level, and his absence is a huge blow for the visitors, but Odegaard, who has enjoyed an outstanding season for Arsenal, will be in the starting XI for Norway on Friday night.

There are also expected to be starts for RB Leipzig's Orjan Nyland, Southampton's Mohamed Elyounoussi and Real Sociedad's on-loan forward Alexander Sorloth in this contest.

Spain possible starting lineup:
Raya; Carvajal, Laporte, I Martinez, Balde; Gavi, Rodri, Ceballos; Oyarzabal, Morata, Olmo

Norway possible starting lineup:
Nyland; Pedersen, Strandberg, Ostigard, Meling; Odegaard, Berg, Berge; Daehli, Sorloth, Elyounoussi

We say: Spain 1-0 Norway

This has the potential to be a very tricky match for Spain, as Norway have a lot of talent in their ranks. The absence of Haaland is a huge boost for the home team, though, and we are backing La Roja to navigate their way to an important three points in their section opener.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Matt Law

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