After getting off to contrasting starts in their respective\u00a0FIFA\u00a0World Cup<\/a>\u00a0openers, Norway and Senegal will meet in New York in what is sure to be a high-octane clash. Look ahead to Monday\u2019s\u00a0match\u00a0with our match prediction and preview.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Norway<\/a>\u00a0marked their long-awaited return to the World Cup finals with a dazzling 4-1 win over Iraq\u00a0and\u00a0will look to\u00a0maintain\u00a0their perfect start when they\u00a0face\u00a0Senegal<\/a> at New York New Jersey Stadium on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Vikings\u2019 tournament opener in Boston was\u00a0certainly\u00a0impressive, with Erling Haaland<\/a> netting his maiden World Cup goals\u00a0before\u00a0Leo \u00d8stig\u00e5rd<\/a>\u00a0also\u00a0found the net,\u00a0while\u00a0a late\u00a0Aymen Hussein\u00a0own goal rounded off the win.\u00a0<\/p>\n That result\u00a0moved Norway\u00a0to the top of Group I, level\u00a0on points with pre-tournament favourites\u00a0France.<\/p>\n It also extended their\u00a0remarkable\u00a0run of form, with Stale Solbakken\u2019s side having now won each of their last 11 competitive matches, scoring exactly 50 goals and conceding just seven in that run.\u00a0<\/p>\n Indeed, their last loss dates back to a 5-1 defeat to Austria in the UEFA Nations League back in October 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n There may also be a little piece of history within reach on Tuesday. Norway have never won more than one match at a single World Cup tournament, with this year\u2019s competition only their fourth appearance in the finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Senegal, meanwhile, endured a near-opposite start to their campaign as they were comfortably beaten 3-1 by France in their opening fixture.<\/p>\n Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 and\u00a0company proved too strong\u00a0in New York, though Ibrahim Mbaye<\/a>\u2019s stoppage-time consolation goal\u00a0at least gave Senegal something to build on.\u00a0<\/p>\n At just 18 years and 143 days old, the Paris Saint-Germain\u00a0starlet\u00a0became the youngest African player to score in World Cup history<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n With their\u00a0toughest\u00a0group stage fixture now out of the way, Pape Thiaw will want\u00a0his side\u00a0to\u00a0bounce back and put up a good fight against\u00a0Norway\u00a0to keep their tournament alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Opta supercomputer<\/a> currently gives the Lions of Teranga a\u00a056.5% chance of progressing, while Norway, owing to their strong start,\u00a0are\u00a0shown a 98.6% probability.<\/p>\n If Senegal are to turn their tournament around, Thiaw\u00a0must\u00a0look for\u00a0solutions\u00a0to\u00a0a\u00a0leaky defence,\u00a0especially ahead of a\u00a0meeting\u00a0with an in-form Haaland.\u00a0<\/p>\n Of the 48 teams competing at this year\u2019s World Cup, only Saudi Arabia (17, prior to their Matchday 2 fixture against Spain) are on a longer run without a clean sheet than Senegal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Indeed, they\u00a0have conceded in each of their last 12\u00a0World Cup\u00a0matches\u00a0\u2013 a run stretching back to their debut in 2002, when they opened with a 1-0 win over France.\u00a0<\/p>\n This\u00a0statistic\u00a0will\u00a0certainly encourage Haaland, who has\u00a0already set a strong marker at the World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Norwegian powerhouse has scored in each of his last 11 competitive appearances for Norway and has netted more than once in each of his last five. Since the start of 2023, he has scored in 17 of his 20 international appearances.\u00a0<\/p>\n And with quality service behind him from\u00a0Martin \u00d8degaard<\/a>,\u00a0Senegal could be in for another difficult evening.\u00a0<\/p>\n Eight of Norway\u2019s 62 line-breaking passes against Iraq broke the opposition\u2019s defensive line, with captain \u00d8degaard responsible for half of them (4\/8) \u2013\u00a0as many as the entire Iraq team combined.\u00a0He misplaced just one of his 42 passes and completed all 16 of his passes in the final third, suggesting limiting his influence could be key to Senegal\u2019s hopes of a result.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s contest will\u00a0be\u00a0the first meeting between Norway and Senegal in the men\u2019s World Cup, and\u00a0their first overall in over 20 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n The last time these two sides\u00a0met was a\u00a0friendly back in March 2006, where the Lions of Teranga triumphed 2-1 in Dakar.\u00a0<\/p>\n Norway have\u00a0faced African\u00a0opposition\u00a0just once before at the World Cup,\u00a0coming from behind to draw 2-2 with Morocco in 1998.\u00a0<\/p>\n Senegal, meanwhile, started well against European sides on the big stage, losing just once from their first five meetings (W3 D1). But they have since lost each of their last three, including\u00a0their opening-matchday loss to France.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Opta supercomputer<\/a> predicts a close contest in New Jersey, with marginal favourites Norway winning 44.7%\u00a0of its\u00a025,000 pre-match simulations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Senegal triumphed 30.5% of the time, while a draw was shown a 24.9% chance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Norway: <\/strong>\u00d8rjan Nyland, Sander Tangvik, Egil Selvik, Kristoffer Ajer, Leo \u00d8stig\u00e5rd, David M\u00f8ller Wolfe, Fredrik Bj\u00f8rkan, Marcus Pedersen, Torbj\u00f8rn Heggem, Sondre Lang\u00e5s, Henrik Falchener, Julian Ryerson, Morten Thorsby, Patrick Berg, Sander Berge, Martin \u00d8degaard, Fredrik Aursnes, Kristian Thorstvedt, Thelo Aasgaard, Antonio Nusa, Oscar Bobb, Jens Petter Hauge, Alexander S\u00f8rloth, Erling Haaland, J\u00f8rgen Strand Larsen, Andreas Schjelderup.<\/p>\n Senegal: <\/strong>Yehvann Diouf, \u00c9douard Mendy, Mory Diaw, Mamadou Sarr, Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdoulaye Seck, Ismail Jakobs, Moussa Niakhat\u00e9, Antoine Mendy, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Idrissa Gueye, Path\u00e9 Ciss, Lamine Camara, Kr\u00e9pin Diatta, Pape Matar Sarr, Habib Diarra, Bara Sapoko Ndiaye, Pape Gueye, Assane Diao, Bamba Dieng, Sadio Man\u00e9, Nicolas Jackson, Cherif Ndiaye, Iliman Ndiaye, Isma\u00efla Sarr, Ibrahim Mbaye.<\/p>\n Enjoy this? Add Opta Analyst as a\u00a0preferred source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Subscribe to our\u00a0football newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>X<\/em><\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>,\u00a0TikTok<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\nNorway vs Senegal: The Key Insights<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"France](\"https:\/\/theanalyst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/france-3-1-senegal-goals-1024x576.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"World](\"https:\/\/theanalyst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4-2025-the-analyst-tournament-group-sim-group-i-2026-06-22-1024x768.png\")
<\/figure>\nNorway vs Senegal<\/strong><\/strong> Head-to-Head<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Norway vs Senegal<\/strong> Prediction<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Norway](\"https:\/\/theanalyst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/aftv-22-23-single-game-match-predictor-e1574242-8292-484d-a5de-945f5ccd7d67-1024x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\nNorway vs Senegal<\/strong> Squads<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Norway vs Senegal<\/strong> Predicted Lineups<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Norway](\"https:\/\/theanalyst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/norway-predicted-lineup-vs-senegal-1024x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"Senegal](\"https:\/\/theanalyst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/senegal-predicted-lineup-vs-norway-1024x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n![\"FIFA](\"https:\/\/theanalyst.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fifa-world-cup-stats-opta.jpg\")
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