Norway coach Per-Mattias Hogmo has been quite impressed with Malta's defensive organisation in their last outings but he believes his team have what it takes to pick up the three points from this evening's qualifier.

After opening their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with a lacklustre performance in a 2-0 home defeat to Group H favourites Italy, Norway are under pressure to get their campaign up and running with victory over minnows Malta.

Hogmo is urging his players to stretch Malta by maintaining a high tempo throughout the game.

“I’ve seen the last few games played by Malta,” Hogmo told a news conference yesterday evening.

“Malta have a good organisation. They play 5-4-1 and rely a lot on counter-attacks.

“It’s important that we play with a high tempo during the game and stick to our plan. We need to trouble Malta in the wide areas and also from behind.

“We must show our skills and do a lot of running, also from the back.”

Hogmo is expected to make some changes from the 2-0 loss to Italy.

Odegaard inclusion

His decision to include 15-year-old playmaker Martin Odegaard in the squad for the qualifiers against Malta and Bulgaria has made headlines not only in Norway but across Europe but the Stormsgodset starlet is unlikely to start.

While Odegaard is the darling of the Norwegian media, Michael Mifsud has also been in demand this week.

The veteran striker, who is expected to make his 107th international appearance this evening, is still a household name in the country after his positive spell with Lillestrom and Hogmo, like many of his peers before him, still regards Mifsud as Malta’s main threat.

“Of course, we know Mifsud very well,”Hogmo said. “He’s a good player and we must be well prepared for him.”