Confident Norway size up Denmark
Monday, January 10, 2011
Article summary
Group H leaders Norway will look to maintain their 100% qualifying record as they meet Denmark for the first time since 2003, with the visitors eager to leapfrog their Nordic rivals.
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Group H leaders Norway will look to maintain their 100% record in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying as they take on Denmark for the first time since 7 June 2003. The visitors will have other ideas, though, as they try to leapfrog their Nordic rivals.
Match background
• Norway have played 82 international games against Denmark over the years and have a record of W20 D11 L51 (W10 D9 L20 at home). The nations first met in Sweden in the 1912 Olympics, with Denmark winning their second round encounter 7-0 on 30 June, and going on to reach the final, losing 4-2 to England.
• The teams have met in only four official qualifiers since. Denmark won 1-0 at home and 5-1 away ahead of the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and – in their only encounters so far this century – Norway drew 2-2 at home and lost 1-0 in Copenhagen in UEFA EURO 2004 qualifying, with Jesper Grønkjær getting the winner in the latter fixture.
• Denmark coach Morten Olsen played in the two former qualifiers and oversaw the latter two from the bench.
• Norway boss Egil Olsen took on Denmark three times in friendly games in his first spell as Norway coach from 1990 to 1998: his side lost 1-0 in Aarhus in 1992, but recorded a 2-1 win in Oslo two years later, and more impressively, a 2-0 success in Copenhagen in 1998, Øyvind Leonhardsen and Tore André Flo the scorers.
• With second-placed Portugal not in action, victory would help Denmark go above Norway at the top of the section, though the sides would remain level on nine points.
