• The Netherlands face a decisive Girls’s World Cup qualifier towards Norway
• The winner will high Group three and assure their spot at France 2019
• Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman discusses the match and her World Cup ambitions

With the Netherlands having scored 21 objectives and conceded none in FIFA Girls’s World Cup™ qualifying, you may anticipate that their place in France is already assured. Not so.

On Tuesday, the Dutch journey to face Norway realizing that, regardless of their wonderful report to date, defeat to the previous world champions would deny them high spot in Group three. With solely the part winners assured a World Cup spot, the stakes couldn’t be larger for this tantalising conflict between two of Europe’s elite sides.

It took a 93rd-minute Vivianne Miedema winner to separate the 2 of their qualifying curtain-raiser final October, and Netherlands coach Sarina Wiegman anticipates lots extra pleasure in Oslo.

“It’s a large recreation and it needs to be a terrific one to look at,” Wiegman instructed FIFA.com. “It’s between two actually sturdy sides and I might have anticipated it to be an enormous one anyway, however the outcomes thus far make it even larger.

“We’re in first place within the group proper now and need to hold it that method, after all. However Norway have gained each match since we beat them proper initially of the marketing campaign. That exhibits what a strong workforce they’re and I anticipate a really shut, thrilling and prime quality match. I’m trying ahead to it.”

Wiegman has each purpose to method this winner-takes-all encounter with real relish. In spite of everything, whereas her facet’s place at France 2019 is probably not assured, they might have barely achieved any extra to date, with six wins and only a solitary draw towards Republic of Eire to point out for his or her efforts. That report is a tribute, says their coach, to the gamers’ potential to re-focus after their UEFA Girls’s EURO triumph and discover the motivation and tactical options to beat new issues.

“I believe the workforce have achieved a very good job,” stated Wiegman. “For those who suppose again, we weren’t one of many favourites for the EURO – by no means. However after profitable that, expectations round us have fully modified.

“We’re additionally discovering that each workforce we play now treats it like a closing – as a result of they need to beat the European champions. Groups are additionally taking part in much more defensively towards us today, in order that’s required us to provide you with some options and work exhausting on the coaching floor to cope with that. However I’m actually proud of how the gamers have tailored.”

Whereas reminiscences of that magnificent EURO marketing campaign stay contemporary for the workforce’s followers, Wiegman has lengthy since moved on to set her sights on France 2019. Having been with the Netherlands at their debut Girls’s World Cup in 2015, she can be nicely conscious that subsequent 12 months’s international finals – ought to the Dutch get there – would require new heights to be scaled.

She stated: “The EURO was enormous for us, notably because it was held in our nation, however we all know the World Cup is at one other, even larger degree. I used to be there on the final World Cup as assistant coach and it was a implausible expertise. I’m determined to be there once more, and so are the gamers. However first we have to qualify, and to do this we have to play a very nice match towards Norway.”