The Viking squad led by Erling Haaland is looking to continue making history at the World Cup this Saturday, when Norway and England face off in Miami for a spot in the semifinals—a completely unfamiliar territory for the Nordic team.
The Manchester City striker is the main threat to the Three Lions, who are used to struggling against him every weekend in the Premier League, and they’ll try to “shut him down” for a day at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Odegaard and Haaland Lead the Vikings’ Hopes
The match, scheduled for 5:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. GMT), also features other Norwegian players, such as Martin Odegaard, the captain of Arsenal and the current English league champion.
He knows the ins and outs of soccer on the islands inside and out and will be in charge of steering Norway’s course.
These are the first quarterfinals in a major tournament—the World Cup or the European Championship—for the Scandinavian national team.
They achieved this milestone after a surprising 2-1 victory over Brazil in their last game.
Haaland himself—Norway’s leading scorer with seven goals so far in the World Cup and the scorer of both goals that day—said Thursday at a press conference that the victory over the Canarinha was “crazy.”
Before noting that the match against England will be “super special” because it involves not only the league where he plays, but also the country where he was born (Filed under: Norway vs. England).
The Golden Generation Takes on England
However, Norway has reached this stage on its own merits.
Composed of a golden generation of soccer players—including Atlético Madrid’s Alexander Sorloth—they secured the country’s first World Cup berth since 1998 by finishing ahead of Italy in the group.
Once in the tournament, they were eliminated in the first round by France (1-4).
In a match where their coach, Stale Solbakken, rested his regular starters ahead of the playoffs.
That respite could be crucial in Miami on Saturday, when the wind chill is expected to be close to 40 degrees Celsius at the start of the game (Filed under: Norway vs. England).
Kane and Bellingham Come to England’s Rescue
In this regard, England is in better shape after enduring a grueling physical battle against Mexico in the Round of 16.
The British ended Mexico’s unbeaten streak at Azteca Stadium in World Cups.
After playing more than forty minutes with ten men following Jarell Quansah’s ejection.
The defender was shown a straight red card and suspended for two games, so he won’t be available for any potential semifinal matches either.
In the absence of the young Bayer Leverkusen player, head coach Thomas Tuchel could start John Stones and Marc Guéhi, both of whom are Haaland’s teammates at City.
And put Ezri Konsa at right back (Filed under: Norway vs. England).
The Three Lions are looking to take the next step
The hard-fought victory over Mexico, however, could give the English a huge morale boost.
That in the previous round, they had raised some doubts after being forced to come from behind against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In fact, the English are considered the favorites—a label Haaland gave them at a press conference—and they will be looking to reach the World Cup semifinals for the first time since Russia 2018.
The Three Lions lost to France in the quarterfinals at Qatar 2022 and finished fourth at Russia 2018.
Always coming close to fulfilling their iconic “It’s coming home,” a reference to the famous chant by their fans calling for soccer to return to their home country.
Harry Kane, who has six goals, and Jude Bellingham, who scored twice against Mexico, are their best hopes for that to happen (Filed under: Norway vs. England).
They face off in Miami for a place in the semifinals
NuevaOnda.com
Probable Lineups
Norway: Orjan Nyland; Julian Ryerson, Torbjorn Lysaker Heggem, Kristoffer Ajer, David Wolfe; Martin Odegaard, Sander Berge, Patrick Berg; Alexander Sorloth, Erling Haaland, and Antonio Nusa.
Head Coach: Stale Solbakken.
England: Jordan Pickford; Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Nico O’Reilly; Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson; Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, and Harry Kane.
Head Coach: Thomas Tuchel (GER).
Referee: Clément Turpin, from France.
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Time: 5:00 p.m. local (9:00 p.m. GMT) – (Filed as: Norway vs. England).
With information from EFE
For more information, visit NuevaOnda.com
