As Scotland prepare to take on Norway at Hampden, FourFourTwo magazine's Norway journalist Christian Wulff gives BBC Sport the lowdown on the visitors.

When Aage Hareide was appointed Norway's national coach in 2004, he boldly declared his ambition to 'create great moments' for the Norwegian supporters.

Four years on and those fans are getting impatient.

John Carew is a vital player for Norway

While losing to the Czech Republic in the play-offs for the 2006 World Cup was an honourable exit, Norway were utterly unconvincing in their European Championship qualifiers, failing to qualify ahead of Greece and Turkey.

After that campaign and another disappointing draw at home against Iceland in the group opener, Hareide's reputation has taken a severe beating.

Norway's hopes for qualifying now rest on his ability to somehow ignite the spark of imagination and inspiration so absent from his team's recent performances.

Not so long ago, it was a completely different story.

In 1995 Norway were ranked as the second best team in the world and three years later recorded their greatest ever victory, beating Brazil in the World Cup in France.

However, the following decade has seen a steady decline in performances.

The underlying problem mirrors that of the English national team, with two record-breaking television deals giving the domestic league increased financial powers.

While Scottish football struggles to maintain a competitive league with only 12 clubs, a much more lucrative product has been developed in Norway.

With unsurpassed league attendances and a new television deal coinciding with the expansion of the top division to 16 teams next year, the graphs continue to point upwards.

But, as with the English Premier League, more capital has not resulted in more local talent. The Norwegian league has instead experienced an invasion of foreign players from all over the world, tempted by the increased salaries on offer.

Hareide has also been criticised for his treatment of the young Norwegian talent that has emerged. His reluctance to give Norway's most exciting new talent, Tarik Elyounoussi, a proper run in the team has baffled observers and fans alike.

The 20-year undoubtedly has the flair and technique that could give Norway that unpredictable attacking option they've been lacking.

Will Tarik Elyounoussi be selected to face Scotland?

After scoring on his debut for Norway in May, Elyounoussi has contributed five goals for Herenveen in the Dutch league after his transfer this summer.

Surprisingly, he was originally left out of the squad to face Scotland, only to get a late call-up because of Steffen Iversen's fitness worries.

While Iversen's potential absence could be a blessing in disguise for Hareide, that would not be the case if Norway's biggest star, John Carew, is declared unfit.

Carew would relish the physical challenge against Scotland and is more likely to replicate his club form for the national team than Norway's other high-profile players, Morten Gamst Pedersen and John Arne Riise, who so often under-perform internationally.

Nevertheless, it is the Norwegian defence that is the team's true Achilles heel.

While solid organisation and genuine world-class defensive talent was the backbone of Norway's success in the '90s, their last qualifying campaign was besieged by personal errors and poor goalkeeping.

It has continued this year with Hareide's preferred number one, Rune Jarstein, largely at fault for both goals in the game against Iceland, proving himself particularly vulnerable from set-pieces.

While current form, injuries and home advantage all point in Scotland's favour, it will be wise for George Burley's men not to forget their own weaknesses.

Norway, like Scotland, so often disappoint when expected to control and dominate a match at home, flourishing instead when expectations are lowered and the pressure is on the opposition.

An away game in front of a demanding Scottish crowd might just suit this Norwegian team better than anybody expects.