Martin Ødegaard has said that “underdogs” Norway are ready for their “big test” against England in Saturday’s World Cup quarterfinal.
All eyes will be on the Hard Rock Stadium as the Scandinavian side look to repeat their stunning 2-1 victory against Brazil when they take on Thomas Tuchel’s men in Miami.
Manchester City star Erling Haaland‘s brace saw off the Selecao on Sunday to set up an enthralling clash against England.
Arsenal skipper Ødegaard said: “Obviously we know the quality they have. I know them really well.
“Outstanding players, world-class players, playing for probably one of the best national teams in the world at the moment, so it’s going to be a big test for us.
“But I think Brazil was the same. We were the underdogs and, as you saw, anything can happen in football, so, yeah, we’re going to give it a good try and see what we can do and looking forward to it.
“It’s true that a lot of us play in England, so we know them quite well. Obviously, we’ve been playing against a lot of these players in the league, so we know them but it’s about the whole team.
“We have to be prepared, we have to analyse the opponent like we always do and we have to have the belief in ourselves.”
Norway created history with their win over Brazil as they reached the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time.
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“I think we’ve showed the whole world that we’re a good team and, as I said, in football anything is possible and even though we’re the underdogs again let’s see what happens,” Ødegaard said.
“Let’s prepare well and let’s keep enjoying our football and this moment together, so let’s see.”
It promises to be a fascinating clash between the sides ranked fourth and 19th in FIFA’s world rankings, when the ability to deal with the Miami heat and humidity will be key.
Norway flew to Florida on Tuesday and trained at Inter Miami’s facilities in Fort Lauderdale the following day, whereas England are staying at their base in baking-hot Kansas City until Friday.
