England vs. Norway Predictions: Lionesses eye statement win in tricky Euro 2022 match

England bid to make it two wins from two games at the Women's Euro 2022 when they do battle with Norway at Brighton's The Amex stadium on Monday night (8pm, BBC 1). The Lionesses beat Austria 1-0 in their first match but face a tough task on the south coast against two-time European Champs Norway, who are also seeking their second straight win after they dismantled Northern Ireland. Below we pick out a couple of tips for the match…

England got the job done in their Euro 2022 opener against Austria. The Lionesses were by no means at their best and there are a number of areas they can improve in as the tournament progresses, but the most important factor in the group stages of tournament football is to stamp an early win on the board, which they did in front of a record 68,871 fans in Manchester thanks to a solitary goal from Beth Mead.

The Austria victory means that England extended their unbeaten run to 15 matches under manager Sarina Wiegman (W13 D2), who herself has now won seven successive European Championship matches, having led Netherlands to glory in 2017. Her side now face Norway in Brighton tonight in what is expected to be their trickiest test in Group A.

England know that they’ll need to be at their best to topple a side that features the world class Ada Hegerberg, winner of the 2018 Ballon d'Or. The Norwegians top the group after the first wave of fixtures following a comprehensive 4-1 win over Northern Ireland, and realistically speaking it’s these two teams who are vying for the top-two spots in the group.

The Lionesses, who knocked Norway out of the last two World Cups, are 4/7 to make it two wins on the spin. Norway won the last meeting between the teams 2-1 in 2019, and could well represent an attractive price at 11/2 to upset the hosts, whereas a draw can be backed at 10/3.

England boast a strong squad, are on home soil, and have a former Euros-winning manager at the helm. After getting the job done against the Austrians, they’ll now want a statement win to send a message out to their rivals. At 4/7 they are pretty short for the three points, however I much more fancy the 12/5 (Bet365) for an England win and both teams to score.

This is an England side who have hammered in 87 goals in just 15 games since Wiegman’s appointment. Yes, they don’t concede many goals, letting in just three during that run but this is no surprise given the calibre of some of their opponents e.g. Latvia and North Macedonia. England conceded against superior opposition such as Canada, Germany and Netherlands, and they’ll face a fight to keep a clean sheet against a Norway side that have scored in 10 of their last 11 games, including four against Northern Ireland last Thursday.

Norway, who racked up 34 goals in qualifying for the Euros, have scored and conceded in four of their last five matches and we believe this to be the case once again on Monday night, however England’s quality and strength in depth should see them come out on top in front of another passionate home crowd.

If you’re after a specific scoreline, a 2-1 England win looks a decent price at 15/2 with bet365.

If England are going to claim the win, then they are going to have to figure out a way to stop the superb Ada Hegerberg. The superstar striker may not have scored upon her return to international tournament action against Northern Ireland, but she was at the heart of her side's attacking play in the emphatic 4-1 win; setting up the second goal.

The Lyon striker is outrageously good. Not only has she previously been crowned the Ballon d'Or winner, she is a six-time Champions League winner and the competition's all-time highest goalscorer (59). The 27-year-old has 42 goals in 71 games for her country despite a five-year exile which only ended in March, and she will relish the opportunity to work her magic against hosts England. 

Hegerberg certainly appeals at 3/1 to score anytime and 2/1 to either score or assist during the 90 minutes, which is available with Paddy Power. However, the bet I really fancy is a boosted 4/1 - from 2/1 - for both Hegerberg and England striker Ellen White to have 1 or more shots on target each.

White received a lot of attention in the build-up to the tournament. Rightly so too, she’s the Lionesses' record scorer (50 goals) and scored six en-route to sharing the Golden Boot at the 2019 World Cup. The Man City star, who was the ante-post favourite for the Golden Boot at Euro 2022, will be gunning for goals having blanked against Austria. She had a couple of half-chances during the match but will be expected to raise her game in Brighton and should be a key cog in England’s attacking play.