England will come up against Erling Haaland’s Norway in Miami on Saturday with a place in the World Cup semi-finals on the line, and the Manchester City striker is happy for his country to be underdogs
Erling Haaland makes England strong favourites against Norway – and insists all the pressure is on Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions. The Manchester City striker is relishing his duel club team-mate Marc Guehi and potentially close friend John Stones in Miami as he attempts to outgun Harry Kane.
He said when asked if Norway were underdogs: “Yeah, definitely. I think everyone should stay humble, but they have a right to be confident about progressing.”
Haaland also claimed Norway’s chances of going the distance at the tournament – something which he rated at 25 per cent pre-tournament – were slim despite a series of eye-catching scalps, not least the elimination of Brazil. He explained: “Really low still [chances of winning the World Cup].
“There are some clear favourites out there, and England is one of them. All of you should put every single bit of pressure on the English lads. It’s a special game, definitely.
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“For me, it’s super special because I play in England and was born in England. Facing team-mates makes it a funny game, but it’s going to be nice.”
The 25-year-old has rattled in a whopping seven goals thus far and he’s hoping to add to that tally in Florida. However, for Haaland, making Norwegians proud is a far bigger motive than hitting the back of the net.
He continued: “I enjoy so many things. Playing against Brazil was crazy for us Norwegians. To win that match and then play England in a World Cup quarter-final in the USA is quite special.
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“If you look at the scenes back home, this is not normal for Norway. It’s super special. Just being able to play in the World Cup is a huge honour and a massive career goal for me. Being here, playing on the biggest stage with my Norwegian friends against the best teams in the world, is really special.”
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