Norway have been hit by a wave of illness and travel fatigue ahead of their first-ever World Cup quarter-final against England in Miami, with manager Ståle Solbakken admitting concerns players have been struck down by sickness
England’s World Cup opponents, Norway, have been struck by illness ahead of the quarter-final showdown against the Three Lions. Exhaustion and sickness have hampered the nation’s preparations as they look to extend their remarkable run in the competition.
Norway secured their place to meet England following a commanding victory over Brazil. Erling Haaland netted twice to propel his side into the last eight in North America.
Having covered thousands of miles during the tournament, there are suggestions that the constant travel has affected the squad, according to Norwegian publication Dagbladet. The team has already been plagued by episodes of illness while progressing through the competition.
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Some of this has been attributed to the endless journeying. Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Norwegians have shuttled between Boston, New Jersey and Dallas.
Crystal Palace striker Jorgen Strand Larsen was ruled out of the opening World Cup fixture through illness. Marcus Holmgren Pedersen was subsequently unavailable for the knockout encounter against Brazil due to a bug.
Boss Solbakken was seen coughing during the press conference after Norway’s 4-1 loss to France. Solbakken has expressed his worries. “We’ve really only had Jorgen who has had a fever,” he said. “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.”
However, Solbakken has sought to ease worries surrounding Pedersen’s absence against Brazil. He reckons the player’s problems stem from a problem he hadn’t expected.
“I think, without being a doctor, that it’s a combination of the boy being young, he’s come to the World Cup and thought, “I’m going to be a backup for Julian [Ryerson]’.
“He’s had two games and played great, got a lot of impressions, his head is full, his body is full of impressions, and the system is collapsing a bit.”
Norway will enter their maiden World Cup quarter-final when they take on England in Miami this weekend. The Scandinavian side, spearheaded by Manchester City star Erling Haaland and Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, saw off Brazil and Ivory Coast after progressing from their group as runners-up to France.
England have endured their own gruelling travel schedule, with their journey to Mexico City to meet the tournament hosts presenting the greatest challenge. The Three Lions had to battle altitude and supporters firing fireworks throughout the night before their encounter.
Solbakken remains optimistic about a closely-fought contest between the sides vying for a place in the final four. He said: “We have to study England but obviously we have seen them in their previous games in the tournament and they will be a very strong opponent but hopefully it will be a very even and tight game”.