The match will be played in Geneva, November 14th. Switzerland is managed by coaching legend Ottmar Hitzfeld, previously in charge of German giants Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Münich, and key players include top class midfielders Gökhan Inler (Udinese) and Tranquilo Barnetta (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), as well as lethal striker Alexander Frei (Basel).

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The search for a new national coach continues. Newly appointed Chief Executive, Nils Johan Semb, has started talks with current caretaker Egil Olsen and Stabæk manager Janne Jönsson. Lars Lagerbäck has also emerged as an outsider for the job, after resigning as national coach of Sweden last week. Jönsson and Erik Hamrén are among the favourites for both the Swedish and the Norwegian post.

Semb, 50, managed Norway from 1998 to 2003. He led Norway to our first European Championship in 2000, in which we were eliminated in the group stages. Semb had previously been the assistant of Egil Olsen, in his first stint as national coach. They basically share the same idea of how fotball should be played, and this may well be an advantage for Olsen when a full-time national coach are to be appointed in the near future.

After being replaced by Åge Hareide in 2003, Semb has worked as a football pundit. His main task as the new chief executive will be the appointment of the new permanent national coach, but he also wants to increase the focus on youth development.

The main contenders for the role as new national coach are pinned down to a few names, containing Erik Hamrén (Swedish success manager for newly-crowned champions Rosenborg), Janne Jönsson (Another Swede with great results in Stabæk, champions of 2008) and Trond Sollied, a Norwegian manager who recently was fired by Dutch outfit Heerenveen.

In other news, captain Brede Hangeland is now very doubtful for Saturday’s friendly against South Africa. The Fulham defender is struggling with a sore ankle and Tromsø’s Tore Reginiussen is likely to take his place in the central defence.

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

Coach Olsen spoke to VG:
It will be a challenge taking over a team which has not been performing too well lately, but I have always loved the national team and if the players are willing to listen to my advice and adjust themselves to my type of football, I sincerely believe that we have a good chance to qualify.”

Norway’s first game of 2009 will be a friendly match at Germany on February 11. Hiring 66 year old “Drillo” Olsen shows a glimmer of hope for qualification after a very disappointing start.

Hallo og Velkommen! Jeg heter Matt Underwood!

Hello everyone! My name is Matt Underwood and I believe that I am Norway’s first writer for this website. I’ll list off a little bit about myself. I am a senior in high school in Texas. My family once came from Norway and visits the country frequently. I’ve been following Norway’s football team for years now from game to game. I’m extremely excited about my position as the writer for the Norwegian blog and will deliver the best news as frequently as I can.

Norway Ready For Åge Hareide’s Last Strike At Finals

The past few years in Norway’s soccer history can be summarized in two words: “Disappointing Endings.” Qualifying for the 2006 tournament ended abruptly when Norway lost a position in the final tournament in a play-off defeat from Czech Republic. Norway was in a definite qualifying position in its Euro 2008 campaign until a defeat from Turkey was delivered in the second-to-last game of the series. Coach Hareide was introduced in 2004 and has yet to deliver the team to a final tournament. He has announced that this is his final attempt as Norway’s head coach and plans to make the 2010 World Cup an amazing achievement for his Norwegian crew.

This Year’s Squad

Norway is returning the stars from the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign and will be ready to open successfully against fellow Scandinavians, Iceland. Norway will be led by the overpowering striker John Carew along with several other amazing players. The midfield is currently a competition between several players, including former team captain Martin Andresen. Coach Hareide is very content with his defense, starting Tom Høgli, John Arne Riise as left and right defenders and Rune Almenning Jarstein in the goal. Norway starts qualifying today, Saturday September 6th against Iceland at Ullevål Stadium in Oslo.

World Cup Draw

Norway was drawn as the third seed in the 2010 World Cup Qualifying Group 9. European powerhouses Netherlands and Scotland were also drawn into this group along with Macedonia and Iceland making this group the only one with 5 teams. The top team in each group automatically makes the final tournament while the second place team will go into a play-off to make the tournament. Winning the group will be a serious challenge for the Norwegian crew, but still possible. However, the second place play-off spot is a more realistic goal. Norway’s fans have a reason to be excited this year because the team can quite easily deliver a succesful qualification. I’m looking forward to seeing how well the team fairs in Group 9 and will keep everyone posted on each game and other team news!