France and Norway face off in a highly anticipated Group I match at Boston Stadium on Friday, with kickoff at 3pm local time (19:00 GMT). Both teams have already secured their spots in the knockout stages after defeating Senegal and Iraq in their opening two games, making this match crucial for determining the group winner.

Norway striker Erling Haaland caused a stir with his post-match comments to Fox Sports after scoring twice against Senegal. When asked about the upcoming France game, he said: "Honestly I don't care too much. We're through, we managed to get through, which is incredible. They're [France] probably going to win against us, they're probably going to win the whole tournament."

France's preparations have been disrupted by the departure of head coach Didier Deschamps, who returned to France following the death of his mother. The French Football Federation expressed condolences and announced that assistant coach Guy Stephan will take interim charge.

France currently lead the group with six points and a goal difference of +5, while Norway are second on goal difference. A draw would be enough for France to finish top, avoiding a tougher knockout path that could include Ivory Coast, Brazil, or the Netherlands. As group winners, they would face a third-placed qualifier and potentially Germany in the round of 16.

The two sides have met 15 times over 103 years, with France winning seven, Norway four, and four draws. Their last encounter was a 4-0 friendly win for France in 2014. Despite Haaland's dismissive comments, Norway have scored more goals than France in the tournament so far, though they have also conceded three times.

Source: www.aljazeera.com