Norway Face Illness Concerns Ahead Of England World Cup Quarter-final Clash

Norway are facing growing concerns over fatigue and illness ahead of Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against England in Miami.

Stale Solbakken’s side secured their place in the last eight with a memorable victory over Brazil on Sunday, booking a first-ever World Cup quarter-final appearance.

The historic win was followed by celebrations after Solbakken permitted his players to enjoy the moment.

Speaking after the match, the Norway manager said: “We had a plan that you guys followed perfectly.

“We had matchwinners on both ends of the pitch. I just told them, Erling (Haaland), you can all go out tonight.”

According to Dagbladet, via talkSPORT, the celebrations, combined with extensive travel throughout the tournament, have raised fears inside the Norway camp over fatigue, illness and the impact of constant flying.

The Scandinavians have already dealt with illness during the competition. Striker Jorgen Strand Larsen missed the group-stage opener against Iraq after falling sick, while full-back Marcus Holmgren Pedersen sat out the round of 16 win over Brazil because of a bug.

Solbakken has also battled illness himself. The Norway boss was seen coughing repeatedly during his post-match press conference following the group-stage fixture against France.

Addressing the situation at the time, he said: “We’ve really only had Jorgen who has had a fever. But then there’s been a bit of coughing and rasping evenly, scattered throughout.

“But there’s air conditioning, flights, changing rooms and all that. We’re over 50 people so it would be strange if one or the other didn’t come.”

Norway will now hope those concerns do not worsen before they face England, with a place in the World Cup semi-finals at stake.