Coming into the team as Leo Stigård’s partner was Andreas Hanche-Olsen, who had only played two minutes plus early extra time during the encounter. The two played together in stigård’s national team debut in April, when Norway won 2-0 over Slovakia.

Eight men started for the third time in a row in a national league match. Apart from Hanche-Olsen, the exceptions are Fredrik Aursnes and Joshua King, who both started in Serbia. They earned their place back from Morten Thorsby and Alexander Srloth respectively, starting in Sweden. Aursnes took back the anchor role in the midfield trio, and Sander Berge was again the inside runner.

The national team were involved in a uniquely tough encounter with four important matches in just 11 days. Solbakken was expected to make some changes in the game against the group’s weakest team in hopes of having fresh legs for the home clash against Sweden on Sunday, but the likes of Erling Braut Haaland, Martin degaard, Sander Berge and Mohamed Elyounoussi are starting for the third time in a row.

Strandberg is one of five players to have been on the pitch every minute of the encounter (Ødegaard, stigård, rjan Nyland and Birger Meling are others), and the only one of them rested early on on Thursday. Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, Berge and Elyounoussi, who were only a few minutes short of full time, also started.

Must be careful

Aursnes, Meling and Holmgren Pedersen are the three people who got yellow cards in the national league and will lose the game against Sweden if they receive another warning on Thursday.

Mathias Normann, who sat on the bench in the first two games of the collection, was among the four who ended up in the stands this time around. Strandberg, Brede Moe and Dennis Johnsen also sat there.

Slovenia has a big star in Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak. He is also the team captain. The guests will have to play without playmaker Miha Zajc (yellow card banned) and their coronavirus-infected national team manager Matjaz Kek. Bostjan Cesar’s assistant leads the team at Ullevaal.

Five changes were made to the Slovenian side who lost 4-1 to Serbia in Belgrade. The team is set up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, but will most likely appear in something more akin to a 5-3-2.

Here are the teams:

Norway (4-3-3):

1 rjan Nyland – 22 Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, 21 Andreas Hanche-Olsen, 3 Leo stigård, 5 Birger Meling – 10 Martin degaard (captain), 16 Fredrik Aursnes, 8 Sander Berge – 11 Mohamed Elyounoussi, 9 Erling Braut Haaland, 7 Joshua King .

Subs: 12 André Hansen, 13 Sten Grytebust – 2 Morten Thorsby, 4 Marius Lode, 6 Patrick Berg, 14 Julian Ryerson, 15 Jens Petter Hauge, 17 Fredrik Bjørkan, 18 Kristian Thorstvedt, 19 Alexander Sørloth, 20 Mats Møller Dæhli, 23 Veton Berisha.

Slovenia (3-4-1-2):

1 Jan Oblak (captain) – 2 Zan Karnicnik, 4 Miha Blazic, 23 David Brekalo – 20 Petar Stojanovic, 22 Adam Gnezda Cerin, 14 Jasmin Kurtic, 3 Gregor Sikosek – 21 Benjamin Verbic – 11 Benjamin Sesko, 18 Zan Celar.

Subs: 12 Vid Belec, 16 Igor Vekic – 5 Jon Stankovic, 6 Jaka Bijol, 7 Jure Balkovec, 8 Sandi Lovric, 9 Andraz Sporar, 10 Luka Zahovic, 13 Domen Crnigoj, 15 Martin Milec, 17 Miha Mevlja, 19 Blaz Kramer.

Referee: Fabio Verissimo, Portugal.

The match starts at 20.45 and the match is broadcast on TV2.