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Malta and Norway will look to get some redemption after both sides easily lost in the first round of these Euro 2016 qualies.
The hosts are on the back of a 0-2 loss in Croatia, actually a pretty decent result for Malta, who played good defensive football in that match. The hosts are no longer that team which receives 4-5 goals in every match and they actually did not lose by more than 2 in the last 5 games. However, Malta is currently on a run of 4 consecutive losses in which they did not score a single goal, they even lost 0-1 to Gibraltar. The offensive setup of Malta is clearly way, way below par and Norway will look to take advantage of that.
The visitors are in clear crisis as far as the National football team is concerned – Norway has won just once in the last 13 outings (2-1 in Moldova) and is on a 7 match winless streak, including a 0-2 defeat to Italy in the first round of the Euro 2016 qualies. The visitors are struggling big time with scoring themselves, as they found the net just once in the last 5 matches, with the last 4 outings all going under 2,5 goals.
Team news: According to reports both sides should look pretty similar to last round, no game-changhing absentees. Borg is suspended for Malta. Norway is so handicapped offensively that they called up 15 year old Odegaard from Stromsgodset to give them a boost.
Both sides are very, very goal scoring – shy and you have to wonder why the odds on the under are as high as 1.95 here. Malta can`t buy a goal and it`s unlikely they will find the net today, while Norway has not scored 3 times since exactly 2 years ago. Expect Norway to control the tempo of the game, they will make sure they stay safe at the back and aim to break down the crowded Malta defense once or twice. A Norway win is probable, but I would not touch that bet at odds of 1.40, and any kind of handicap is out of the question for me. My tip is under 2,5 goals to be scored. Prediction: Malta – Norway 0-1.
Pick: under 2,5
Odds: 1.95 @ William Hill
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 7.6
Event date: 10 October
