Scotland face Norway problem that's not Erling Haaland as our heroes warned over sand pit of 'horror'

Scotland are set to deal with a bigger problem than Erling Haaland in Saturday's Euro 2024 showdown - the state of the pitch in Oslo.

Steve Clarke's side face the Norwegians after racing five points ahead of them after only two games in the qualifiers following wins over Cyprus and Spain. However, there are real concerns over the Ullevaal Stadion playing surface after it was heavily criticised following its hosting of the Norwegian Cup Final between Brann and Lillestrom recently.

Players from both sets of teams slaughtered the surface and Lillestrom midfielder Vebjorn Hoff said: "The pitch was absolutely horrible. There are one million gardens in Norway that are better than that pitch. The penalty boxes were both covered in sand. A Cup Final should be played on a good pitch. It's a real shame that we had to play on a surface like that."

And Norway boss Stale Solbakken has admitted the pitch will be far from ideal for Scotland's visit. But he insisted it has improved. He said: "I don't think it's as bad as it was during the Cup Final. The pitch surface is making progress and quite a lot better than during that game. It will probably not be top-notch, but it will get better day by day."

Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.

You can also follow our dedicated Rangers and Celtic podcast pages and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.