Luis de la Fuente will take charge of his first match as Spain head coach on Saturday evening, as La Roja face Norway in their opening Euro 2024 qualification fixture.

Spain have not been in action since losing on penalties to Morocco in the last-16 stage of the 2022 World Cup, while Norway last featured in a friendly in November 2022, playing out a 1-1 draw with Finland.

Players to watch: Celta Vigo forward lago Aspas returns to the Spanish fold for the first time since 2019, so he’d love to score here after striking three goals across his last two club outings.

Haaland’s injury means Norway look to fellow Premier League star Martin Ødegaard, who brings experience after securing four goal contributions (G1, A3) from his nine appearances in their last Euros’ qualification attempt (inc play-offs).

Hot streak: Norway have netted first in their last four away outings (W3, L1).

Spain form (all competitions):

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Norway form (all competitions):

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Spain possible starting lineup:

Raya; Carvajal, Laporte, I Martinez, Balde; Gavi, Rodri, Ceballos; Oyarzabal, Morata, Olmo

Norway possible starting lineup:

Nyland; Pedersen, Strandberg, Ostigard, Meling; Odegaard, Berg, Berge; Daehli, Sorloth, Elyounoussi

Spain 1-0 Norway

This has the potential to be a very tricky match for Spain, as Norway have a lot of talent in their ranks. The absence of Haaland is a huge boost for the home team, though, and we are backing La Roja to navigate their way to an important three points in their section opener.