Spalletti on Italy World Cup qualifying test against Norway: ‘Everything is on the line’

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 20: Luciano Spalletti, Head Coach of Italy, applauds prior to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal leg one match between Italy and Germany at Stadio San Siro on March 20, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

CT Luciano Spalletti believes that ‘everything is on the line’ when Italy go up against Norway in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in June, describing the opposition as ‘the best Norway in history’. 

Italy will begin their World Cup qualifying campaign away against Norway on June 6, which will be followed by another qualifier against Moldova on home soil on June 9. 

National team head coach Spalletti gave a press conference in front of the media on Sunday, at the beginning of the team’s training camp. 

Click here to see everything Spalletti said.

Spalletti: ‘Everything is on the line in Norway’ 

Spalletti believes that Norway are currently playing the best they ever have as a nation, and though this is only the first game of the qualifying campaign, he believes that Italy need a win in Oslo in order to achieve qualification to the World Cup. 

“Let’s be clear: in Norway, everything is on the line when it comes to whether or not we’ll qualify for the World Cup,” Spalletti said at his press conference, attended by Football Italia. 

“The players and I are fully aware of it—we mentioned this in yesterday’s meeting with Gigi [Buffon] present. We have a duty to fulfil this task that’s been entrusted to us. We need to qualify because it’s absolutely crucial for us.”

He continued: “This is the best Norway in its history, with both technical and physical qualities, especially evident in their attacking line. They play an aggressive 4-3-3, with Sørloth acting as the central striker, and he has put in some impressive performances.”

Spalletti previews Italy tactics for World Cup qualifiers

Spalletti went on to give a preview of what he expects to see from his own side in the upcoming qualifiers: “As for us, we have everything we need to play our game. We have all the potential for a great match, and that’s exactly what we intend to put into practice.

“We’ll play with a three-man defence and then build the rest of the team around that because we want to play in numerical balance. We know you possess that attacking potential, with players who excel in one-on-one situations.

“We have our own characteristics and qualities, and we’re confident that our way of playing can lead us to the result we’re aiming for.

“We can make different demands of the wide players. In the middle of the pitch, I believe I have a strong unit at my disposal, which we rely on to control the game and not hand the initiative over to the opponents. There are no particular concerns about the matchup in this game.”