Norway v France knockout phase permutations with Germany showdown in store

Norway and France lock horns in the final round of Group I games on Friday night.

The European duo are already guaranteed a spot in the next round of the World Cup having won both matches so far.

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As such, this showdown should be a bit of a dead rubber, right?

Well, not exactly.

Fans will bear witness to the goalscoring battle between goal machines Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.

And their respective nations will hope Haaland and Mbappe can maintain their rich vein of form in front of goal at the World Cup.

The Norwegian hitman and his French counterpart are both locked on four goals apiece having hit respective braces against Iraq and Senegal.

What do France and Norway need to do to secure top spot in Group I?

There is now the chance to secure a round-of-32 spot as winners of Group I, though is it worth going all out to claim all the spoils in the Friday showdown?

For France, they only need to avoid defeat in order to progress atop the group.

Norway, though, must claim victory in order to pip Les Bleus to first.

That’s because France have the superior goal difference, which will be taken into account should the spoils be shared in Boston.

And the winner of Group I will face a round-of-32 meeting with a third placed team from Group C, D, F, G, or H.

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The team that finishes second, meanwhile, will face the runner up from Group E.

To the uninitiated, this is the group that features both Germany and Ivory Coast.

Germany will progress as group winners in Group E and face a third-placed team from Groups A, B, C, D or F.

However, should Germany win their round-of-32 tie, then they would take on the winner of the tie between the Group I winner and a third placed team from Group C, D, F, G, or H in the round-of-16.

As things stand, that may see France face Germany in the last-16 of the World Cup should Didier Deschamps’ side claim a result against Norway on Friday.

It would be a clash between two of Europe’s powerhouse sides in their bid to win the World Cup in North America.