A major surprise has emerged ahead of the decisive FIFA World Cup Group I clash between Erling Haaland’s Norway and Kylian Mbappé’s France, with the Norwegian superstar starting on the bench.
Norway head into the encounter without their talisman in the starting lineup, placing attacking responsibility on the shoulders of Jørgen Strand Larsen, alongside promising wingers Oscar Bobb and Andreas Schjelderup.
France, meanwhile, have named a strong attacking side led by captain Mbappé. The French frontline also features the creativity and pace of Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Désiré Doué, with Aurélien Tchouaméni anchoring the midfield.
The decision to leave Haaland out of the starting XI will undoubtedly dominate pre-match discussions. Whether it is a tactical move or a measure to manage fitness, Norway will hope they can remain competitive before potentially unleashing their prolific striker later in the match.
France have already shown their quality throughout the group stage and will be looking to secure top spot, while Norway know a positive result could significantly boost their hopes of progressing to the knockout rounds.
Norway XI:
Selvik; Aursnes, Østigård, Falchener, Bjørkan; Berg, Thorstvedt, Aasgaard; Bobb, Strand Larsen, Schjelderup.
France XI:
Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Lacroix, Theo Hernandez; Koné, Tchouaméni; Dembélé, Olise, Doué; Mbappé.
All eyes will be on whether Haaland’s introduction from the bench can change the course of one of the most anticipated matches of the Group I campaign.
Richard Achore is a versatile Ghanaian sports journalist, media administrator, and officer with the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and the Founder of the online sports portal Ghsportsnews.com and Ghana Talk News