Norway want to prove their strength against Turkey

There are some very, very small traces of uncertainty left, but if Norway beat Turkey on Wednesday in the EHF EURO 2016 Qualification they will have secured their place at final tournament in Poland next January.

Ahead of their two final matches in Group 1 Norway are in second position with 6 points, just like group leaders Croatia, while Netherlands are third with four points.

If the Norwegians win against Turkey, who are still on zero points, they are through unless Netherlands beat Croatia on Wednesday.

If Norway draw or lose at Ankara, they will still qualify with at least a draw at home against the Netherlands, even in case of a Dutch win against Croatia on Wednesday.

And if Croatia live up to their status as favourites and defeat the Netherlands, Norway will just need a draw against Turkey to qualify already ahead of the last match.

However, mathematical possibilities seem to be the last things on the Norwegian players’ minds.

"I expect a tough match in an unusual environment," says Norway´s 19-year-old playmaker Sander Sagosen who is considered one of the great talents in international handball at the moment.

"We want to make things absolutely clear in the first attempt. We can practically qualify for Poland Wednesday, and we intend to do that.

"Lately, people have tended to see us as an ‘almost team’  – a team who can never actually deliver when it really matters. We want to prove those people wrong and show that we actually able to perform," Sagosen tells ehf-euro.com.