France vs Norway

The last time France and Norway shared a competitive pitch was a 2-0 French win in Oslo during Euro 2000 qualifying, a result that feels like ancient history given how profoundly both programs have transformed. France will likely dominate the ball — Deschamps' teams always do against opponents they respect but consider inferior — and Norway will happily cede it. Solbakken's entire philosophy for tournament football is built on defensive compactness and devastating verticality, using Haaland as the outlet who turns any turnover into a potential goal.

The problem for Norway is that France are arguably the best counter-attacking side in international football, which means the usual risk-reward calculus of sitting deep against superior opposition is inverted. Push up and Mbappé destroys you; sit deep and Haaland gets isolated. The tactical sweet spot Solbakken must find is a mid-block that denies France's wingers the half-spaces while still close enough to Ødegaard to involve him in transitions. Ødegaard versus Tchouaméni in the central zones is the contest within the contest.

Norway's qualifying was nearly flawless, but that was against Scandinavian rivals and European mid-tier opposition. France represent a vertical leap in class.