UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifying: Where to watch Spain vs Norway live on March 25, 2023

Topics: TV Schedules, Spain, Norway, UEFA Euro Qualifying

La Furia Roja take to the pitch for the first time since their disappointing 2022 FIFA World Cup exit as Luis de la Fuente kick-starts his reign as manager.

Spain kick off their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign this weekend, with the European giants taking to the field on Saturday. However, a tricky fixture awaits the 2010 FIFA World Cup winners as they will face Norway, who boast a host of talented players irrespective of the gutting absence of Erling Haaland.

This will be La Furia Roja's first game since their disappointing FIFA World Cup campaign. Spain entered the tournament as one of the favorites but were the first powerhouse to fall victim to Morocco, with Pedri and Co. losing on penalties in the round of 16.

That result ultimately led to Luis Enrique's departure, with the Asturian tactician stepping down shortly after their exit. Luis de la Fuente has replaced the former Barcelona boss and will kick-start his reign in this tie.

With the UEFA Nations League semifinals being a few months away, this international break will gave Spain a great opportunity to get used to their new boss. The European giants will face Norway and Scotland during this break, but while De la Fuente's side are the favorites, they must start their qualifying campaign with a bang.

The three-time European Championship winners have been grouped with Norway, Scotland, Cyprus, and Georgia in Group A and will look to improve on their semifinal finish in the 2020 edition.

Norway, on the other hand, haven't qualified for this competition since 2000 and will look to put this horrible run to an end. Victory over Spain would be the best message of intent from the Scandinavians, and given the promising quality in their squad, the visitors should fancy their odds.

The absence of Erling Haaland, however, is a huge blow. The Manchester City superstar was called up for this international break but was sent back home after a groin injury was detected.

However, Martin Odegaard, the man captaining Arsenal in their impressive Premier League title campaign, will lead his nation in this fixture. Meanwhile, a number of players who ply their trade in England or Europe's other top leagues will be at Stale Solbakken's disposal.

The Lions missed out on automatic qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup as well as a ticket to the playoffs after finishing third behind the Netherlands and Turkey. This was the sixth tournament in a row that Norway missed out on and Odegaard and Co. will not want to endure this heartbreak again.

Team news

Spain: Only 11 members from Luis Enrique's FIFA World Cup squad were called up by De la Fuente. However, injuries have played their part as Pedri and Unai Simon are sidelined. This means David Raya could start in goal while David Garcia, Joselu, and Iago Aspas will be hoping for some minutes.

Norway: Erling Haaland is injured and will play no part in the fixtures against Spain and Georgia. However, Martin Odegaard will captain his country while the likes of Orjan Nyland, Mohamed Elyounoussi, and Alexander Sorloth will look to impress.

Key stats

Norway have failed to keep a clean sheet against Spain in all but one of their last 10 meetings.
Spain have only lost one competitive game against their Scandinavian opponents and that was in Euro 2000.
The visitors have failed to qualify for a major tournament in the last 23 years.
La Furia Roja are currently on a three-game winless streak, drawing 1-1 with Germany at the 2022 FIFA World Cup before losing to Japan and Morocco in consecutive games.