Winger anticipates tough Scandinavian test
James believes his side have the confidence required to pick up a positive result at the Ullevaal Stadion on Saturday, even though the hosts will be desperate for revenge. After opening their Group A4 campaign with consecutive losses to Portugal and Denmark, Craig Bellamy's men earned their first points in October by coming from behind to beat Norway 2-1 in Cardiff. James netted the equaliser in that victory.
Cardiff comeback revived group hopes
Entering the final two matchdays, Wales sit third on three points, staying above bottom side Norway via their head-to-head record while retaining an outside chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
Expecting a stern test on Saturday, James said: "They're a great nation and, at home especially, they've been brilliant.
"They're a very hard team to beat, and I think after having that win in Cardiff it's something that they've had to take - and they'll be even more up for this game.
"We won't look at them too much - they've got great players; they've got a great squad and have been great at home - but we have full belief.
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"That win over Norway was so important to keep us in the group, and we showed what we were about.
"As a team, we lost our identity a little bit [at the start of the Nations League]. People had started talking and writing us off a little bit, but I think we showed our reaction, and people saw that."
Euro seeding raises Oslo stakes
October's triumph was Wales' sole victory across eight outings in 2026 (three draws, four defeats), leaving their 12.5 per cent win ratio as their lowest since managing 11.1 per cent in 2003.
Nevertheless, James is confident of securing third place to enter a League A survival play-off: "We're all aware of where we want to finish and how important it is going into the Euro qualifiers.
"We have it in the back of our heads, but we can't put pressure on ourselves - the only thing to know is that if we perform, we can do it.
"We know we have two very important games against teams we want to be playing against. If we want to get to major finals and go far in tournaments, we have to be able to compete against these teams, and the manager always reiterates that."
Winless away record awaits Bellamy
Wales have never won away against Norway in five attempts, recording two draws and three defeats ahead of their first visit since Bellamy started a 0-0 friendly draw in May 2004. Avoiding defeat in Oslo would help protect the third spot ahead of their final Group A4 fixture. Finishing third also guarantees a pot-one seeding for the Euro 2028 qualifiers, a tournament Wales is set to co-host.
