Life was always going to be tough for Wales in Nations League Group A4 and they face a big challenge to avoid a third defeat in a row when welcoming Norway to the Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday.
Wales have failed to score in their opening two defeats, going down 1-0 in Portugal and 2-0 in Denmark, and they sit bottom of the standings heading into the third round of fixtures.
As for Norway, they are second in the group having followed a 3-2 win over Denmark with a 2-1 loss to Portugal - both of those contests taking place at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo.
Wales v Norway Tips Summary
Best Bet - Norway to win and over 2.5 goals @ 20/23
Alternative Bet - Erling Haaland first goalscorer @ 15/8
Bet Builder - Ethan Ampadu to be booked, Martin Odegaard to assist & Oscar Bobb to score any time @ 19/1
Wales v Norway Prediction
Best Bet: Norway to win and over 2.5 goals @ 20/23
Promoted from League B of the Nations League, Wales have found the step up to League A quality difficult to deal with and they face a huge challenge to avoid dropping straight back down.
While competing well against Portugal in their opener, they ended up losing 1-0 in Lisbon before they were outplayed in a 2-0 defeat to Denmark in Copenhagen.
No goals is a big concern and the absence of Harry Wilson has been felt hard during this international break, although they should get scoring opportunities against a Norway side who favour attack over defence.
The Red, White and Blue have gone 10 matches without a clean sheet - last recording a shutout in March - but what they lack in defensive stability they more than make up for in attacking prowess.
Norway have scored 21 goals across their last 10 fixtures and nine of those contests have produced at least three goals, so there is no shortage of entertainment when Stale Solbakken's side are involved.
Whether Wales have the quality to score remains questionable so backing a win for the visitors with over 2.5 goals instead of both teams scoring in a Norway victory is the way to go.
Alternative Bet: Erling Haaland first goalscorer @ 15/8
Erling Haaland has been in sensational scoring form again this season and he had struck seven times in his last five games for Manchester City prior to the international break.
The 26-year-old has notched the first goal four times for the Citizens and there looks to be good value in siding with him to get things up and running against Wales.
Haaland has bagged three times in his last two matches for Norway and he should be presented with plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net in Cardiff.
Wales v Norway Bet Builder Tip
Ethan Ampadu to be booked
Martin Odegaard to assist
Oscar Bobb to score any time
Pays 19/1
Wales midfielder Ethan Ampadu has avoided a card in this international break but he can count himself lucky, having committed two fouls against Portugal and four against Denmark.
The 26-year-old should have plenty of defensive work to do against this attack-minded Norway side and he may fall foul of the referee on this occasion.
Martin Odegaard has been chief creator for Norway, registering six assists in his last seven appearances, and he looks capable of adding to his tally against a Wales team without a clean sheet in seven matches.
Oscar Bobb scored in Norway's 3-2 win over Denmark and having been surprisingly dropped for the defeat to Portugal, he should be reinstated to the starting XI.
The 23-year-old Fulham forward has two goals in his last four outings for club and country and he can get on the scoresheet against this fragile Welsh backline.
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Key Match Stats
Wales have lost their first two Nations League Group A4 matches, failing to score in defeats to Portugal (1-0) and Denmark (2-0)
The Dragons have gone six games without a win and last claimed a victory in November against North Macedonia
Norway beat Denmark 3-2 in their A4 opener before losing 2-1 to Portugal
The Red, White and Blue have won 15 of their 26 Nations League fixtures, losing only seven times
Erling Haaland has scored 65 goals in 57 caps for Norway
Martin Odegaard has registered six assists in his last seven appearances for Norway
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
