Erling Haaland is at risk of contracting Norway’s sickness bug – with the Scandinavian team doctor “very busy” ahead of a crunch World Cup quarter-final with England
Erling Haaland is at risk of contracting Norway’s sickness bug as his team doctor is “very busy” ahead of their quarter-final clash with England.
Orjan Nyland has revealed the extent of the illness bug that’s been sweeping through the Norway camp ahead of their World Cup quarter-final. Nyland and his teammates secured a face-off with England this Saturday after pulling off a shock victory over Brazil on Sunday, thanks to a late double from Haaland.
This marks the first time in their history that they’ve made it to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, positioning them as one of the tournament’s dark horses. With Haaland leading the charge, Norway will be hopeful of causing another upset when they square off against England.
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However, news broke earlier this week of an illness bug wreaking havoc within the camp during their preparations for the match, sparking concerns that Norway could be under strength come the weekend.
And their goalkeeper, Nyland, has confirmed that the illness bug has indeed affected the team in recent days, reports the Mirror.
Speaking to James Corden, he said: “I can confirm that it’s true, we’ve had our issues, we’re doing the best we can and the team doctor is very busy at the moment. I have no idea what the source was, we did have some time off so maybe someone contracted something.
“Hopefully everything goes well and we face England with a fully rested squad on Saturday.”
Norway have had to grapple with illness throughout their World Cup journey, with Marcus Holmgren Pedersen absent from the historic victory over Brazil. Crystal Palace striker Jorgen Strand Larsen was also missing from their World Cup opener due to sickness.
According to Norwegian publication Dagbladet, fatigue has been a factor, largely due to the extensive air travel the team have had to endure. They are based in Greensboro, North Carolina and have played matches in Boston, New Jersey and Dallas.
Following the 4-1 defeat to France in their final group match, Norway’s manager, Stale Solbakken, commented: “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.”