Brazil v Norway Betting Markets
Are Brazil a back or a lay when it comes to their World Cup last sixteen showdown against Norway? A last-gasp Gabriel Martinelli goal saw them get over the line against Japan, although it was a close-run thing against the Blue Samurai, especially as the latter took the lead in the first-half before a Casemiro header cancelled it out.
Carlo Ancelotti is tasked with landing a first Brazilian World Cup win since 2002, with the Italian having engineered a Group C triumph after a 1-1 draw with Morocco was followed by straightforward victories over Haiti and Scotland. However, there's a feeling that this isn't a dangerous side who clearly have defensive vulnerabilities.
There's an over-reliance on Vinicius Junior to make things happen, with the Real Madrid star likely to be heavily marked by the Norwegian defenders. However, Brazil have now gone seven games without a defeat and six of those matches have ended in a victory. We know that the Brazilians can flex their attacking muscle and that could be seen when demolishing Panama by a 6-2 scoreline.
As for Norway, they will be confident. We can't read too much into the 4-1 defeat against France which saw the Nordic side effectively down tools and play a reserve team. Previously to that, there was a 4-1 success against Iraq and then a 3-2 win against Senegal, with two more goals coming against Ivory Coast which saw them through to the last sixteen.
The draw can't be ruled out and the Norwegian spirit in the camp is strong. They will have noted the way that Japan nearly got through to extra-time against the same opponents and we can see this ending in deadlock, potentially with a 1-1 scoreline.
Goals Under/Over
The World Cup betting sites are expecting goals to be scored at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. The Over 2.5 Goals selection is the shortest-priced selection of the two, with 1.80 implying a probability of 55% that three or more are scored.
All three of Norway's group games finished with five goals being scored. Attack is the best form of defence for Stale Solbakken's side considering that their forward players are generally better than their defensive ones. For a start, there's Erling Haaland who notched two braces during the group stage before scoring the winner against Ivory Coast.
Brazil have scored in all their games but have struggled to find the net against better opposition. They only got one against Morocco and there were two goals that came against Japan after a fair amount of toil.
BTTS
The BTTS Yes odds can be found at around the 1.66 mark. That suggests a 60% chance that both sides will find the net in New Jersey. Norway and Brazil have managed to score in each of their four games thus far. The Nordic side have averaged 2.5 goals per game in north America, with Brazil having racked up a total of nine although there's a strong reliance on Vinny Junior to make things happen.
If you fancy one of the two teams to claim a victory, then you can potentially pair this with BTTS Yes. We know that both sides will want to play on the front foot, with Brazil's expected goal tally exceeding two and they had a total shot count of nineteen against the Japanese.
Similarly, Norway had an expected goal tally of 1.90 when they lined up against Ivory Coast even though their total shot count was a lower number of nine. Antonio Nusa was the player to make the breakthrough against the Elephants, while the Norwegians don't have a particularly strong defence and that explains why they've failed to keep a clean sheet in the tournament.
First Goalscorer
All the Brazilian and Norwegian players can be backed at odds-against to find the net in this showdown. The forward trading at the shortest price is Erling Haaland despite him playing for the outsiders. The Manchester City forward is so often in the right place at the right time. He will go up against Gabriel and the pair know each other well from their battles in the Premier League.
Haaland has notched five goals already at the World Cup and he has the weaponry to help the Norwegians through to the last eight. However, Vinicius Junior can't be dismissed and the Real Madrid man could be breaking through from a wide position. It's clear that Brazil rely on this attacker and will aim to supply him at every available opportunity.
Matheus Cunha is likely to be the striker given the centre forward role and the Manchester United man is a dangerous operator. The former Wolves player has found the net twice in this tournament, with Casemiro someone who seems to have the best ability in the air from set pieces including corners.
Rayan could be favoured on the right-hand side, while we can't rule out the possibility of Marquinhos and Gabriel making mischief in free-kick situations.