Norway
Norway have been the entertainers of the 2026 World Cup so far, in the 5 games Stale Solbakken’s side have played there has been 21 goals scored in those fixtures, there is no indication that will end tonight when they face England in Miami.
They opened up their group campaign against the perceived weakest side in the group in Iraq and had little problems in turning them over 4-1. It got a little tougher on matchday 2 when they faced a talented Senegal side but outscored the AFCON finalists 3-2. They made 10 changes for the game against France and were comfortably beaten 4-1.
It was another African side in Ivory Coast in the round of 32 and they were evenly matched for the most part until Erling Haaland scored in the 87th minute to confirm a 2-1 win. Brazil were the opposition in the last 16 and they were the better side but had to wait till the 76th minute to take the lead and deservedly went on to win 2-1.
Injuries & Team News
David Moller Wolfe gave Norway a scare in the Brazil victory when he was withdrawn towards the end of the game but he has since returned to full training and will start.
The biggest decision Solbakken will have to make is in attacking areas, Alexander Sorloth & Antonio Nusa will be looking over their shoulders as both Oscar Bobb & Andreas Schjelderup performed very well when they replaced the duo at half-time.
There is no doubt who will lead the Norwegian attack however with Erling Haaland looking to add to his 7 goals so far.
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 2-1 vs Brazil |
D W W L W W
|
Predicted Line-Up
Norway possible starting lineup:
Nyland; Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Wolfe; Berg, Berge; Bobb, Odegaard, Schjelderup; Haaland
England
England have also entertained at this World Cup, Thomas Tuchel men don’t look secure at the back but they have the firepower to outscore most teams and that seems to be the way they are attacking this competition, this shootout should be well worth watching.
They began with a 4-2 win over Croatia having led twice in the first half before being pegged back but got the win. With optimism high they were brought back down to earth with a sombre 0-0 draw with Ghana. Panama were the opposition on matchday 3 and it took them a while to get the breakthrough but they came through 2-0.
The round of 32 seemed to have thrown up a nice match-up wuth DR Congo but they fell behind early and stuggled for long parts before two late Harry Kane goals secured a passage to a clash with Mexico in The Azteca, they turned in a briliant performance to beat the fancied Mexicans 3-2 despite a red card for Jarrell Quansah.
Injuries & Team News
Jarell Quansah will miss this game against Norway as he serves the first of a two match ban for his red card vs Mexico in the round of 16. Reece James has been put through his paces this week but it might be too soon following his hamstring injury, It’s likely that D’Jed Spence will start at right-back.
The biggest worry for Thomas Tuchel may well be that he has three players on the brink of a suspension should they pick up a yellow card in this fixture, Jude Bellingham, Decland Rice and Nico O’Reilly at risk.
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 3-2 vs Mexico | W W D W W W |
Predicted Line-Up
England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Spence, Konsa, Burn, O’Reilly; Rice, Anderson; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
Betting Odds
| Team | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Norway Win | 4.20 | Grand Ivy |
| Draw | 3.80 | Dream Vegas |
| England Win | 1.91 | 247Bet |
Prediction
Norway 1-3 England
Norway have been brilliant in this world cup as has Erling Haaland but how long can they rely on him to keep producing, he may struggle against players who know his game and England have plenty of quality to hurt Norway at the other end.