‘Very tiring’ – Norway manager reveals how exhausting England World Cup quarter-final will be for stars in stifling heat

STALE SOLBAKKEN is not scared of facing Harry Kane as the England captain prepares for his goalscoring shootout with Erling Haaland. The Three Lions hero, 32, has scored six goals in five matches at this World Cup – only Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Solbakken’s own Haaland have more. But ahead of the two best No9s on the planet facing off in Miami, Solbakken, 58, said: “It’s Norway vs England. “But it’s no secret Kane is the No1 matchwinner for England and Erling is the No1 matchwinner for Norway.” Norway have scored in every game but at the other end are yet to keep a clean sheet, conceding one to Iraq, two to Senegal, four to France and one to Ivory Coast. They almost held on for a shutout against Brazil. READ MORE ON WORLD CUP But Neymar slotted in a 100th-minute penalty. And the defensive record is no concern for Solbakken despite coming up against Kane and Co. Solbakken added with a wry smile: “We were ten seconds away from a clean sheet last time against Brazil, so don’t be too sure.” Norway arrived in Miami on Monday, the day after the last-16 win over Brazil in New Jersey. Most read in Football WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS World Cup 2026 - all the info The knockout stages of the World Cup are hotting up as we head towards the business end of the tournament. England believe football might finally be coming home after 60 years of hurt, with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham on fire. But the likes of France, Spain and Argentina are all serious contenders to go all the way. Heavyweights Germany, Netherlands, Brazil and Portugal have all been knocked out. LATEST NEWS - Declan Rice suffering from sickness bug as England staff desperately try to contain it ahead of Norway clash - England vs Norway delay fears with ‘heat illness’ warnings and Saharan dust - Kylian Mbappe injury fears as France star forced off with issue - Marc Guehi could miss England vs Norway with hamstring injury - Inside Haaland’s romance with model girlfriend KEY INFO - World Cup 2026 full match schedule including kick-off times - World Cup 2026 full squads - World Cup 2026 rule changes - World Cup 2026 prize money VIDEO - Proper Football Daily: Get all the expert analysis each morning - Team Talk – Tactics Exposed: Dive into the tactical talking points TIPS AND BETTING TICKETS If you click a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. CLICK ON PIC TO SEE STAR’S PROFILE They have trained at noon in the 33C ‘heat advisory’ temperatures for the last three days – and some players wore ice vests before taking to the field on the eve of the match. England, however, only touched down in Florida on Friday as they returned to their Kansas City base after beating Mexico in the Azteca. It is expected to be 33C at 5pm local time for kick-off – with thunderstorms a possibility – and Solbakken added: “If the weather is like it is now, maybe even hotter, chasing the ball is very tiring. “Both teams need to be able to keep the ball otherwise it will be a long, long game. “We trained very lightly and haven’t done much hard work or for long sessions, it’s been tactical sessions at a lower tempo and about being fresh.”