Norway U19 take on the visitors Montenegro U19 in the round 1 match of UEFA Euro U19 second stage qualification. The match will be played on Wednesday, February 20th.
Norway's youth team breezed through the first qualifying stage for Euro 2024. They first demolished Gibraltar (10-0), then defeated Latvia (3-0), and finally emerged victorious against strong Hungarians (2-1). The second qualifying stage for the Scandinavians will be held at home. This makes the national team even more of a favorite, as even without the home advantage, the Norwegian team would still be the main contender for the top spot in the group with peers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, and Montenegro.
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Looking back to 2017, during the Euro 2018 qualification, the Norwegians easily defeated Montenegro (3-0). Yes, that was a long time ago, and both teams are entirely different now. However, this doesn't change the fact that Norway are clear favorites in this match. The Montenegro national team, both at senior and youth levels, doesn't pose much of a threat. They advanced from the second place in their group to the next stage, with their U-19 team struggling to score in two out of three matches and only managing to score three goals against modest Wales.
In recent years, Norway has produced many young football stars, including some truly big names like Ødegaard, Sorloth, and Haaland, who are known worldwide. This indicates that youth development in football in Norway is on the right track. It's not surprising that the Scandinavian U-19 team is considered the clear favorite against their counterparts from Montenegro by bookmakers. Firstly, the match is at home for Norway, and this factor is much more important for young players than for experienced adults. Secondly, specifically in the first stage of the Euro qualification, Norway's youth team looked more promising than Montenegro's juniors. I dare to predict that in this match, the hosts will secure a convincing victory both in terms of gameplay and scoreline. My prediction is a handicap (-1.5) for the home team.
Prediction for the match: Norway U19 to win with -1.5 handicap.
