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Dan James tells Wales to expect a Norway response in Oslo

The winger says beating Norway proved a point, and expects Erling Haaland's side to want the same when the teams meet again in the Norwegian capital.

By Sportsback
Paris Saint-Germain - Manchester City FC, 22 January 2025Like tears in rain · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wales winger Dan James has warned that Norway will want to do to Wales what Wales did to them, with the sides due to meet again in Oslo. James said the win over Erling Haaland's Norway had proved a point, and that the team on the receiving end of such a result now has a reason of its own.

His remark frames the buildup to the fixture in the Norwegian capital. It is a player talking about motivation rather than shape or selection, and it puts the previous meeting between the two countries at the centre of the return.

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Erling Haaland, Norway
Erling HaalandMan City · NorwayForward
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James's point about the win

FC Salzburg versus KRC Genk (UEFA Championsleague 17. September 2019)Werner100359 · CC BY-SA 4.0
FC Salzburg versus KRC Genk (UEFA Championsleague 17. September 2019)

James's reading is that Wales answered something with the victory, and that Norway will arrive at home wanting to answer it back. He attached Haaland's name to that warning, which is where the threat stops being general and becomes specific.

Saying it out loud also does a job for Wales: a side told by its own winger that a response is coming cannot be caught cold by one. James, a winger, is himself among the players whose evening in Oslo will be spent giving Wales an outlet when Norway press.

The Haaland factor

FC RB Salzburg gegen Real Madrid (Testspiel, 7. August 2019)Werner100359 · CC BY-SA 4.0
FC RB Salzburg gegen Real Madrid (Testspiel, 7. August 2019)

Norway's danger is concentrated in Haaland, and any plan for Oslo begins with what he is allowed to receive and where he is allowed to receive it. Wales found a way to win the first meeting; finding it again away from home, with the crowd behind Norway, is a different problem.

The away side will want a compact shape, patience in possession and a way of relieving pressure when it builds. None of that is new, and none of it becomes easier because the opponent is treating the game as a correction.

What is not yet known

The date of the Oslo fixture, the competition it belongs to and the condition of either squad have not been set out. Norway have not responded publicly to James's warning, and James's own availability for the trip has not been confirmed.

What Wales intend to change from the win, and how Norway intend to answer it, will become clear only when the teams are named. Until then the story rests on one player's expectation of a hard night.

For James the calculation is simple: a result of that kind stays with the side that lost it. Wales travel to Oslo with something to defend and a warning already issued.

Frequently asked questions

What did Dan James say about Wales's win over Norway?
He said the victory proved a point for Wales, and warned that Norway will now want to make the same point against them when the teams meet in Oslo.
Why does Dan James expect Norway to seek revenge?
Because Wales beat them, and James believes a side that has just lost a point-proving result will want to reverse it on home soil in front of its own crowd.
Where will Wales play Norway next?
In Oslo. James identified the Norwegian capital as the venue for the return meeting, though no date for the fixture has been set out.
Has Norway responded to Dan James's comments?
There has been no public response from Norway's squad or coaching staff to the warning James issued about the return fixture.

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