England enter the fixture as overwhelming favourites, boasting a stellar squad spearheaded by the in-form Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. The 1966 champions were forced to dig deep against co-hosts Mexico on Sunday evening, as they overcame high altitude and a red card to secure a 3-2 victory at the Azteca Stadium. Norway have made history too. They produced a monumental shock earlier on Sunday by defeating five-time champions Brazil, thanks to two spectacular goals from Erling Haaland – who is now joint-top scorer at the tournament with seven goals.
The Scandinavian nation will play in their first World Cup quarter-final this Saturday. But they refuse to let their underdog label stop them from genuinely believing they can eliminate one of the competition’s favourites.
Norwegian outlet Dagbladet ran with the headline ‘Poor England’, placing great confidence in Haaland and his team-mates to get the job done. They went on to warn Tuchel by saying the German will be “dreading the exam at Ståle Solbakken’s management school.”
They also referenced Norway’s 2-1 triumph over England back in 1981. Another publication, NRK, displayed similar confidence, writing: “Now England awaits in the World Cup quarter-finals. We can beat anyone.”
VG (Verdens Gang) quoted former Norwegian footballer Carl-Erik Torp as saying Norway could go all the way and win the World Cup. Addressing the possibility of facing England and potentially Argentina in the semi-finals, Torp said: “It was a pretty lame Argentine team against Cape Verde.
“I was at England against Congo in Atlanta. That defence looks shaky. I don’t fear any of them. Remember that these teams are going to want to beat Norway. It is just as difficult for them as it is for us. This Norway team is an incredibly good team.”
Meanwhile, TV 2 pundit Yaw Amankwah was thrilled with the victory over Brazil, also highlighting how England could be left at a disadvantage following their gruelling 101-minute clash with 10 men against Mexico.
“It’s as good as it gets to stay,” he said. “I’m glad they got over 100 minutes of thin air up high towards Mexico. I hope they’re tired and tender.”
So far at the World Cup, England secured top spot in their group courtesy of a 4-2 win over Croatia, a dismal 0-0 draw against Ghana and a 2-0 victory against Panama. They recovered from a goal down to eliminate DR Congo in the round of 32 before seeing off hosts Mexico 3-2, though their defensive frailties have repeatedly been called into question throughout the tournament.
Norway, meanwhile, claimed second place behind France in their group following a 4-1 defeat to the 2018 champions, fielding a heavily rotated side. They’d previously beaten Iraq 4-1 and Senegal 3-2, before dispatching Ivory Coast 2-1 in the last 32 and then Brazil.