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Arun - June 22, 2026
Norway and Senegal meet at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Monday night in a Group I fixture with enormous implications for both sides. Our Norway vs Senegal prediction covers the full match.
Norway top the group after their impressive 4-1 demolition of Iraq, while Senegal are bottom having lost 3-1 to France.
A Norway win here would seal their place in the knockout rounds before the final group game. For Senegal, defeat coupled with France taking a point against Iraq would leave them facing elimination.
Stale Solbakken received a double fitness boost ahead of this match. Both Julian Ryerson and David Moller Wolfe finished the Iraq game with concerns.
Ryerson complained of muscular fatigue at full time, while Moller Wolfe was forced off in the 73rd minute with an unexplained issue. Both players have made swift recoveries and are expected to start here.
Solbakken has a fully fit squad available and has no reason to change a starting eleven that delivered one of the most impressive opening-round performances at this World Cup.
Orjan Nyland continues in goal. The back four of Ryerson, Kristoffer Ajer, Torbjorn Heggem and Moller Wolfe is unchanged.
Heggem keeps his place ahead of Leo Ostigard, who came off the bench to score against Iraq but has not done enough to displace the first-choice partnership.
Sander Berge, Martin Odegaard and Fredrik Aursnes continue in midfield, with Odegaard providing the creative link between midfield and attack.
Erling Haaland has scored in 11 consecutive appearances for Norway and has 55 international goals from 50 caps. He leads the line alongside Alexander Sorloth, with Antonio Nusa providing width and directness from the right.
Formation: 4-4-2 / 4-3-3
GK: Orjan Nyland
Defenders: Julian Ryerson, Kristoffer Ajer, Torbjorn Heggem, David Moller Wolfe
Midfield: Sander Berge, Martin Odegaard, Fredrik Aursnes, Antonio Nusa
Forwards: Alexander Sorloth, Erling Haaland
Pape Thiaw has no injury or suspension concerns and is expected to name an unchanged side from the France defeat. The 3-1 scoreline against France was a tough result, but Senegal contributed to an entertaining contest and created chances, with 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye becoming the youngest African goalscorer in World Cup history when he reduced the deficit.
Thiaw took over as Senegal head coach in December 2024, replacing the long-serving Aliou Cisse, and led the squad to Africa Cup of Nations glory earlier this year.
Edouard Mendy continues in goal, with the experienced defensive block of Krepin Diatta, Kalidou Koulibaly, Moussa Niakhate and El Hadji Diouf retained. Koulibaly, with 102 international caps, is Senegal’s leader at the back and the key figure in containing Haaland.
Lamine Camara, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Pape Gueye provide the midfield engine, with Gana Gueye, despite being 35, remaining central to Senegal’s defensive structure off the ball.
The attacking trio of Ismaila Sarr, Nicolas Jackson and Sadio Mane carries the primary threat going forward. Mane, Senegal’s all-time leading scorer and most celebrated player, is fit and expected to start. Jackson, on loan from Chelsea at Bayern Munich this season, is another major physical presence up front.
The pace and directness of Sarr from the right will be one of Norway’s key problems to solve. Ibrahim Mbaye, whose goal against France earned him global recognition, provides the most dangerous option off the bench.
Formation: 4-3-3
GK: Edouard Mendy
Defenders: Krepin Diatta, Kalidou Koulibaly, Moussa Niakhate, El Hadji Diouf
Midfield: Lamine Camara, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Pape Gueye
Forwards: Ismaila Sarr, Nicolas Jackson, Sadio Mane.
For all our World Cup 2026 tips and predictions throughout the tournament, head to the hub.
