The squad against South Africa

Here is Egil Olsen’s squad for the forthcoming friendly against South Africa on Saturday, October 10th.

Goalkeepers:
Jon Knudsen (Stabæk)
Rune Almenning Jarstein (Rosenborg)

Knudsen has been the first choice since the second qualifying match, and has done a nice job. He is a reliable, modest guy who’s had a good season with his club Stabæk. Jarstein has also been relatively solid this season, but is arguably more error-prone than Knudsen.

Defence:
John Arne Riise (Roma)
Brede Hangeland (Fulham)
Kjetil Wæhler (Aalborg)
Jo Inge Høiland (Stabæk)
Tore Reginiussen (Tromsø)
Tom Høgli (Tromsø)
Knut Olav Rindarøy (Molde)

John Arne Riise has probably been our best player in the last few matches, and is a very solid left back. He has actually scored on direct freekicks in three consecutive matches, and also contributed immensely by going forward a lot. Høgli or Høiland will take the right back position. They are not anywhere near Riise in class, but usually quite steady nevertheless. In the heart of the defence, Captain Brede Hangeland is a obvious choice. Although there has been some problems with communication and marking, I’m pretty sure Wæhler will take the place next to him.

Midfield:
Bjørn Helge Riise (Fulham)
Christian Grindheim (Heerenveen)
Morten Gamst Pedersen (Blackburn)
Daniel Braaten (Toulouse)
Henning Hauger (Stabæk)
Simen Brenne (Odd)
Kristoffer Hæstad (Vålerenga)

Gamst Pedersen, despite starting at the bench for Blackburn against Arsenal last match, is the pick of the midfield. He’ll start at the left side of the midfield, and has improved greatly since Olsen replaced Hareide. Grindheim, Hauger and Hæstad are quite similar types. Hard-working, competetive players. Brenne likes to ghost in between defenders, but I don’t think he will be in the starting line-up. Riise hasn’t made the best of starts in Fulham, but played very well against Macedonia in our previous match. Braaten has flair and is unpredictable, but ‘unpredictable’ isn’t necessary a good thing in this case.

Attack:
John Carew (Aston Villa)
Erik Huseklepp (Brann)
Morten Moldskred (Tromsø)

Carew is key to success for us. He doesn’t score an awful lot, but is a powerhouse with the possibility to cause any defence problems. Huseklepp has had a great season for Brann and is the leading goalscorer in the Norwegian Premier Division so far this season. Moldskred did not impress when he got the chance against Iceland, and will hopefully be benched on this occasion.

Expected line-up: Knudsen – Høiland, Hangeland, Wæhler, JA Riise – BH Riise, Grindheim, Hauger, Pedersen – Huseklepp, Carew