Dan James warns Norway will seek revenge ahead of Oslo Nations League tie
Wales winger Dan James warned of Norwegian revenge ahead of his side's Nations League trip to Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo on Saturday, 14 November, kick-off 17:00 GMT. James was on the scoresheet as Wales came from behind to beat Norway 2-1 in Cardiff last month and said the Norwegians will be fired up to respond.
James has won 68 caps for Wales since making his debut eight years ago. The Leeds United attacker played in the October victory over Norway, a result that reignited Wales' hopes of remaining in the Nations League top tier. That win ended a six-match winless run under Craig Bellamy, was described as the biggest scalp of Bellamy's reign and quietened some criticism of the manager. Repeating that result in Oslo would move Wales close to securing third place in the group and bring a boost to Euro 2028 qualifying seedings.
Speaking in Oslo, James said: "They're a great nation and, at home especially, they've been brilliant." He added: "They're a very hard team to beat and I think after having that win in Cardiff it's something that they've had to take – and they'll be even more up for this game."
The source material notes Norway are World Cup quarter-finalists but are on their worst run of form in a decade, with Norwegian media critical after the Cardiff defeat and defeats against Portugal immediately before and after. The report also states the defeat in Oslo to Portugal — in which Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench by Portugal, prompting his walk out and eventual international retirement — was the first time Norway had lost in 12 competitive home matches. Norway have not lost four games in a row since 2016; only Orjan Nyland and Alexander Sorloth remain from that earlier period.
James said Wales will concentrate on their own game rather than Norway's strengths: "We won't look to them too much - they've got great players, they've got a great squad and have been great at home – but we have full belief." He added: "That win over Norway was so important to keep us in the group and we showed what we were about."
Wales had been under fire after losing their opening League A fixtures in Portugal and Denmark, with Bellamy admitting he had been "hurt" by the performance against Denmark. On that period James said: "The manager said it and we all knew it - we didn't perform to our best." He continued: "As a team, we lost our identity a little bit. People had started talking and writing us off a little bit, but I think we showed our reaction and people saw."
A win in Oslo would leave Wales well placed to seal at least third in the group, provided they could then either pick up a point in Cardiff against Portugal in their final fixture or hope results go their way. Although it would likely mean Wales would still have to go to a play-off to retain their League A status, the report says it would guarantee a pot one seeding for the Euro 2008 qualifiers – a tournament Wales will co-host. James, who was part of the Wales squads that appeared at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, reiterated the team's focus on performance: "We're all aware of where we want to finish and how important it is going into Euro qualifiers. We have it in the back of our heads, but we can't put pressure on ourselves – the only thing to know is that if we perform, we can do it. We know we have two very important games against teams we want to be playing against. If we want to get to major finals and go far in tournaments, we have to be able to compete against these teams and the manager always reiterates that."
Saturday's fixture kicks off at 17:00 GMT on 14 November and will be shown live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Two Wales, BBC Sounds, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and 5 Live Sports Extra, with coverage on the BBC Sport website and app plus live text commentary.
