Craig Bellamy has challenged Wales to rediscover their identity when they host Norway at Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday night, admitting he "didn't recognise anything" about his side during their 2-0 defeat by Denmark in Copenhagen on Sunday.

Wales are still searching for their first win since last November and their first since promotion to Nations League A. They are without a point in Group A4 after back-to-back away losses — falling 1-0 to Portugal in Lisbon and 2-0 against Denmark in Copenhagen — though Bellamy had insisted in the build-up to the Norway game that his side have earned their place among the continent's elite.

"I didn't recognise anything about us in the game and that was hard," the Wales head coach said. "We didn't look clear in what we were doing, we were 'in between' and that comes from myself. I want us to improve as a team and I want to improve."

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Bellamy was full of praise for an opponent he believes have announced themselves on the world stage after their run to the World Cup quarter-finals. "This team has been on a surge," he said of Ståle Solbakken's side. "They are progressing and they will keep going as well – they ain't going away, especially with the youngsters they've got coming through. We've all been waiting [for them to flourish]. But it was coming and it's come with a bang."

Bellamy pointed to Norway having two clubs in the Champions League — Bodø/Glimt and Viking — as evidence of the country's growth, saying that would have been "a miracle a number of years ago". And he had a pointed message for the Norwegian media in attendance: "I think you're all sneakily hoping we don't talk about you as much but the World Cup exposes you. But I'm on to yous. I know what you're up to and I know your younger age groups are getting even stronger."

Bellamy even joked that Norway's next wave is already being prepared, noting that Sander Berge, Martin Ødegaard and Erling Haaland "are really close friends and their three sons are all the same age, born within a few months of each other. They're already preparing the next generation, so we're all in trouble."

Ødegaard a doubt for Cardiff visit

Norway captain Martin Ødegaard is a doubt for the match after a poor challenge by Bernardo Silva in his side's 2-1 defeat by Portugal on Sunday. Solbakken, in his sixth year as Norway head coach, said the Arsenal captain would train in the Welsh capital to assess his fitness.

"He will probably test himself a bit today," Solbakken said. "If he had no chance [of playing], he wouldn't be here."

Wales, meanwhile, know that a positive result against Haaland and company would transform the mood around a squad Bellamy accepts lost its clarity in Copenhagen — and that the visitors are unlikely to go away any time soon.