The Netherlands and Norway were amongst the stellar performers during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, with the former confirming their place with one game to go. Ronald Koeman’s stars punched their ticket to the USA, Canada, and Mexico with a draw against Poland, but all but confirmed it with a 4-0 win over Lithuania.
Koeman’s men have been rather impressive in the qualification rounds, going unbeaten in their games and conceding only four times in the process. The head coach has insisted that reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup will be a bare minimum requirement, but held faith in his team to go all the way.
Now, the Netherlands host Norway in what is nothing more than a warm-up game to bring his ideas and squad together in preparation for the big summer event. Stale Solbakken will want the cohesion and good results with this team to continue for as long as possible after the Nordic nation ended a 28-year wait to reach the World Cup finals, following a storming qualifying campaign.
Norway won all of their eight games whilst scoring 37 goals in the process, which also saw Erling Haaland bag an incredible 16 strikes. Now, Solbakken will use this upcoming friendly against the Netherlands as a measuring stick to gauge where his squad stands in terms of levels. It will be a good test for the Nordic nation to get their bearings right before the World Cup, as they meet the Dutch for the first time since losing a qualifier for the Qatar World Cup back in 2021.
Memphis Depay was the latest to withdraw from this round of international fixtures following a thigh injury. Ronald Koeman had confirmed that the Corinthians forward would be his first-choice striker, but now the head coach may have to juggle his options for this Norway clash.
Depay is not alone, as Crysencio Summerville, who was set for his Netherlands debut, has an injury that saw him withdraw, joined by Robin Roefs, Matthijs de Ligt, Jurrien Timber, Noa Lang, and Frenkie de Jong.
Meanwhile, Jan Paul van Hecke, who has served an international suspension, should return to the starting eleven, while there has been a first-ever call-up for AZ Alkmaar’s midfield talent, Kees Smit.
The absence of Depay will provide a big opportunity for in-form Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey, who scored the late winner in the Tyne-Wear Derby against Newcastle United at the weekend, and he will likely lead the line for the Netherlands against Norway.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Dumfries, van Hecke, van Dijk, Ake; Gravenberch, Schouten; Simons, Reijnders, Gakpo; Brobbey
Stale Solbakken has confirmed he will be resting star forward Erling Haaland for this game, although he will be part of the squad. The idea might be to give the Manchester City star a breather after a testing schedule, whilst creating space to test another forward in Jorgen Strand Larsen, with Alexander Sorloth likely to pair up the Crystal Palace striker up front.
One other popular selection has been the inclusion of Bodo/Glimt winger Jens Petter Hauge, after an impressive run in the UEFA Champions League. There are some notable absentees, including skipper Martin Odegaard, with the national team boss choosing to allow the midfielder time to train and return to top fitness following a recent injury.
Rangers midfielder Thelo Aasgaard has also been left out, though Solbakken will have a strong enough squad to select his best eleven from. Meanwhile, Julian Ryerson’s creativity from the right flank will hold the key for the away side.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Nyland; Ryerson, Ostigard, Ajer, Bjorkan; Bobb, Berg, Berge, Hauge; Strand Larsen, Sorloth
A stellar display for his club, Sunderland, against arch-rivals Newcastle United, where he scored the winner, has come at the right time for Brobbey. While Ronald Koeman confirmed Memphis Depay would be his main striker moving forward, the Corinthians star has since withdrawn with an injury, which could catapult Brobbey to lead the attack on this occasion.
This may only be a friendly, but it presents a big opportunity for Brobbey to show Koeman he deserves a significant spot in the squad. He will aim to carry his club form onto the international stage and begin his World Cup preparations in style with a top display against Norway.
There are goals written all over this fixture, and the Netherlands could have a slight edge due to home comfort. The Oranje are unbeaten on home soil since October 2023, and that may well continue heading into this clash. Ronald Koeman’s men will win this friendly, but things will not be straightforward.
Norway, as a team, excelled in the qualifiers owing to their tremendous goalscoring form, and that might continue heading to Amsterdam. Stale Solbakken’s men are equally capable of defeating the Netherlands, but the home side might have the slight edge in this friendly, making this a fine test for both teams in preparation for the World Cup.
