Experts praise the selection of "Norway friendly" to simulate Scotland's style in the World Cup.
The Moroccan national football team will conclude its friendly matches on Sunday with a face-off against its Norwegian counterpart in a clash that Moroccan fans are eagerly anticipating to assess the readiness of the "Lions" for the 2026 World Cup.
Experts have praised the choice of Norway as a friendly opponent, considering the similarity of its style to that of the Scottish national team, one of Morocco's rivals in the global event.
Mohamed Achiban, a national coach and sports expert, stated that choosing the Norwegian team for a friendly match against Morocco was a wise decision, given the similarities it shares with the Scottish team, one of the "Atlas Lions" competitors in the same group during the 2026 World Cup finals.
Achiban explained in a statement to Hespress that there are many commonalities between the Norwegian and Scottish teams, including their return to the World Cup finals after a long absence of 28 years since the 1998 France edition, as well as their close rankings in the world classification, with Norway ranked 31st globally and Scotland 43rd, considering that these factors reflect the thoughtful and rational nature of choosing Norway as a friendly opponent.
The national coach and sports expert added that the similarities are not limited to statistical indicators only; they extend to some aspects related to playing style, noting that there are tactical differences.
The same speaker noted that the Norwegian team primarily relies on a 4-3-3 formation, which can sometimes shift to 4-4-2; while the Scottish team prefers a 3-5-2 approach, with the possibility of transitioning to 5-4-1 depending on the match circumstances.
Achiban confirmed that the Norwegian team builds a significant part of its offensive performance around its striker Erling Haaland, who serves as a key player in building attacks due to his physical strength, ball retention ability, and good positioning within the penalty area.