No surprises from Semb
Monday, March 24, 2003
Article summary
There were no surprises in Norway's squad to face Luxembourg, with Thorstein Helstad replacing John Carew.
Article body
Carew suspended
Semb will no doubt be handicapped by the absence of the suspended John Carew, who scored twice for Valencia CF in their 2-1 defeat of Arsenal FC in the UEFA Champions League last week. In Carew's place he has chosen FK Austria Wien's Thorstein Helstad.
Tricky encounter
"Everyone expects us to win, but this could prove to be a tricky match for us", said Semb. "I have watched their last four matches and have noticed they are good on the counterattack. They played well when they lost [2-0] against Denmark, but had a heavy [7-0] beating against Romania. We just have to keep a high tempo and and wait for them to make mistakes."
Group leaders
Norway currently lead Group 2 with seven points from three games – one point clear of Romania whom they beat 1-0 away from home last September.
Norway squad
Holtan, Olsen, Basma, Bergdølmo, Johnsen, Berg, Hansén, Lundekvam, Andersen, Bakke, Riise, Svindal Larsen, Strand, Tessem, Rudi, Flo, Helstad, Rushfeldt, Johnsen, Solskjær.
