Norway vs. England: Vikings here "on merit" and have a certain Erling Haaland in red-hot form

Ahead of Norway's 2026 World Cup quarter-final with England connected Saturday, Sports Mole's Senior Reporter Oliver Thomas discusses the Vikings, and a definite Erling Haaland.

Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter: "This is not an casual fixture"

England volition beryllium listed as favourites for this game but they volition beryllium good alert this is not an casual fixture. 

Many predicted pre-tournament that if England were to advancement to this signifier they would astir apt travel up against Brazil successful the quarter-finals, but they present look a antithetic trial successful Norway. 

Norway are present connected merit. I don't deliberation we tin instrumentality excessively overmuch distant from that 4-1 decision to France due to the fact that they rested, I think, 10 players for that game. 

They bushed Iraq 4-1 and they bushed Senegal 3-2 successful the radical signifier successful what was a tricky fixture to telephone earlier kickoff. Senegal are a beardown broadside but Norway were deserving winners successful that match. 

And of people they spell and bushed Brazil: not a immense shock, but they were underdogs going into that crippled arsenic they volition beryllium against England. 

The information that England bushed Mexico successful the mode they did, successful that situation astatine the Azteca, volition springiness them truthful overmuch assurance now. 

There are a mates of fittingness issues to woody with, arsenic good arsenic that right-back dilemma that Thomas Tuchel faces. England volition rightly backmost themselves to triumph present against Norway and, connected paper, England bash person a stronger squad. 

Norway bash person a definite prima sanction successful Erling Haaland up front, but England person their ain prolific talisman successful Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham conscionable down him, some scoring goals for England. 

Hopefully England tin physique connected those 2 hard-fought wins against DR Congo and Mexico. I don't deliberation they person peaked excessively soon. 

I deliberation determination is inactive much to travel from this England side. As hard arsenic this crippled against Norway could beryllium to be, I deliberation England volition backmost themselves to triumph this one. 

It's earthy that we tin consciousness the momentum and the content that England are going to triumph it, and it's immense present compared to earlier the Mexico game. 

Norway volition beryllium coming successful with a akin level of belief, momentum and motivation, due to the fact that that triumph against Brazil is their astir celebrated ever result, their biggest and champion ever effect to get done to the World Cup quarter-finals. 

It was an upset successful presumption of FIFA ranking and World Cup pedigree, but cipher would've been shocked if Norway had won that game, partially due to the fact that Brazil hadn't truly looked that large and Norway had besides impressed.

They would've gone into the Brazil crippled reasoning it's 1 they could precise good win, and they'll spell into this crippled reasoning the same. 

Similarly to erstwhile we speech astir players similar Messi and Mbappe, we're starting to tally retired of words to picture conscionable however superb these players are, and it's the aforesaid with Haaland. 

There's really an statement to beryllium had implicit whether he's possibly the top Scandinavian subordinate of each time.

You've got the likes of Michael Laudrup of Denmark and Peter Schmeichel, arsenic good arsenic Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden. 

Interestingly, Ibrahimovic said astatine the commencement of this World Cup that Haaland needs to bash overmuch much to reach, successful his words, the freak of quality that is himself, and helium labelled Haaland a one-dimensional player. 

Goals triumph you games. While Ibrahimovic failed to people successful immoderate of his 5 World Cup games, Haaland has already netted 7 goals successful conscionable 4 games astatine this tournament. 

He is the archetypal subordinate to people astatine slightest 7 goals successful his archetypal 4 World Cup games since Gerd Muller of Germany backmost successful 1970. 

Ibrahimovic ne'er really reached a knockout circular astatine the World Cup with Sweden, whereas Haaland is conscionable 1 crippled distant from reaching a semifinal successful his maiden World Cup. 

Haaland has astir apt achieved a spot much than Ibrahimovic has done successful immoderate of his World Cup appearances. The numbers that Haaland is signaling are conscionable ridiculous. He's wholly defying comprehension. 

He's averaging implicit a extremity a crippled for Norway, and he's the fastest subordinate successful planetary shot to ever scope 60 goals. He's present moved connected to 62 with that brace against Brazil. 

There was a batch of speech earlier the lucifer astir that conflict betwixt Haaland and Gabriel, and helium surely won that: helium really won each 4 of his aerial duels against Brazil. 

At the clip of recording, helium has the champion aerial duel occurrence complaint of immoderate striker to contention much than 15 astatine the World Cup since records began successful 1966, with a 78% occurrence rate. 

That is thing England request to ticker retired for. You've got Marc Guehi, Haaland's Manchester City teammate, who is apt to play astatine centre-back. 

They volition request to beryllium truly connected apical of their crippled to support Haaland quiet. England's backmost enactment has been shaky astatine times astatine this tourney and they can't spend to marque immoderate errors facing idiosyncratic arsenic lethal arsenic Haaland. 

Haaland versus this England broadside is simply a truly absorbing matchup. A batch of acquainted faces volition beryllium connected amusement due to the fact that Norway person different players successful their squad who play successful England. 

If England tin support him quiet, I deliberation they person a beardown accidental of winning this crippled and reaching the semi-finals.