Switzerland vs Norway Odds
| Switzerland Odds | +260 |
| Norway Odds | +120 |
| Draw | +220 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (+130/ -167) |
| Both Teams to Score (Yes/No) | (-110/ -125) |
| Odds via bet365. Get up-to-the-minute World Cup odds here. | |
Norway and Switzerland square off in the second round of group stage matches with Norway desperate for all three points.
Switzerland notched a convincing 2-0 win over the Philippines in their opening match to put them in first place in the group. They will be facing a much different opponent in their second match, and their slow, build-up style may not be as effective as it was in the opener. However, if they pull off the upset, it would solidify them a spot in the Round of 16.
Norway put up an absolute egg in their first game as heavy favorites against New Zealand. They looked out of sorts, were not effective in attack and got beat in transition for the only goal of the match, which is a downfall of their aggressive, high-pressing style.
It’s pretty simple: Norway needs all three points with New Zealand likely getting three points against the Philippines.
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Switzerland
Switzerland did what they do best in their opening match, which is control possession, build out of the back with ease and create a ton of high-quality chances. Switzerland ended up with 3.1 expected goals on 16 shots, along with 19 box entries en route to a deserving 2-0 win.
🇵🇭 Philippines 0-2 Switzerland 🇨🇭
A valiant effort from the Philippines on their #FIFAWWC debut, but the Swiss dominated for large spells in this victory.
Ramona Bachmann scored the opener from the penalty spot – she's now scored in four major tournaments for Switzerland. pic.twitter.com/yyrEuRHgbH
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) July 21, 2023
Things are going to change this time around because Switzerland are now going to have to face a high-pressing team and won’t be able to build up like they did against Philippines.
Switzerland played good competition at the Euros last summer and really struggled, especially in the matches where they weren’t able to control a majority of the possession.
They held under 45% of possession against Portugal and Sweden and got beat on xG a combined 4.3 to 1.0. That also highlights what Switzerland is out of possession: a high-counter pressing team, but not always good in transition.
At the Euros last summer, they crashed out of the group stage, conceding a whopping 6.1 expected goals.
Playing a team with the offensive caliber of Norway is a recipe for disaster.
Norway
Norway had a lot of promise entering the World Cup. They were put in a fairly easy group and were the overwhelming favorites to win it.
However, they put up a terrible performance against New Zealand, who’s only win over the last calendar year came against Vietnam.
It was a very even match against New Zealand in terms of possession, shots and box entries; New Zealand ended up winning the expected goals battle.
🇳🇿 New Zealand 1-0 Norway 🇳🇴
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W 👍New Zealand FINALLY win their first game at a #FIFAWWC at the 16th attempt thanks to this 1-0 victory over Norway… and they did it in front of their own fans. 😍 pic.twitter.com/I3Bx1VlDkh
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) July 20, 2023
Norway wasn’t very effective pressing in the first match. They only forced eight high turnovers and had 18 pressed sequences, per the Analyst.
For one of the most aggressive high-pressing teams coming into this tournament, that’s not good enough for Norway to dominate like they have in the past.
With that being said, Norway is a good attacking side with Ada Hegerberg up top and Chelsea’s Guro Reiten conducting the midfield. They will be crucial in this match if Norway is going to get all three points.
Switzerland vs Norway Pick
If this was the first match of the group stage, I have no doubt that Norway would be a more sizable favorite. In fact, they opened as +100 favorites before dropping down to +120 at some books.
Although the performance was bad against New Zealand, Norway plays a style that can cause Switzerland a lot of problems.
The Swiss got a break in the first match with the Philippines not applying much pressure, but their slow build-up style has consistently not been effective when they’ve faced some of the top sides, which was the case at the 2022 Euros.
Plus, a draw here for Switzerland is perfectly fine, while Norway desperately needs all three points. So, I like the value on Norway at +125 (FanDuel) to bounce back from the opening loss to New Zealand.
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