Erling Haaland has urged the England players and fans to ‘stay humble’ ahead of their World Cup quarter-final this weekend. Haaland and his Norway team-mates will be hoping to break England’s hearts when they meet in Miami for the last-eight tie, with a place in the World Cup semi-finals up for grabs.
Norway have never made it to this stage in a World Cup before, with Haaland having already been part of a side that has made history this summer. The Manchester City marksman has netted seven goals in five matches and is well in the mix to win the Golden Boot award for the top goalscorer.
When quizzed by Sky Sports about the upcoming contest, Haaland said: “I think everyone should stay humble. But they should be confident of progressing, definitely. It’s England!”
While also saying: “It’s a special game [vs England]. For me, it’s super special because I play in England and I’m born in England. You want to play against team-mates and everything, so it’s a bit, not weird, I don’t know the name in English, but it’s a funny game.”
Haaland himself has become somewhat of a sensation during his time at the World Cup, with the striker’s follower numbers having skyrocketed since touching down Stateside. On his increasingly growing American fanbase, Haaland remarked: “I like the Americans, I think they’re kind of hilarious as well!
“They’re funny, I like the way they are! It’s been, honestly, on every single thing with the World Cup so far has been amazing; from the games, to the stadiums, training grounds – everything has been amazing. It’s been impressive!”
Stopping Haaland will likely be key for England in their pursuit of a semi-final berth, and Aston Villa ace Morgan Rogers was full of praise for the 26-year-old when asked about the upcoming match-up. When asked how Haaland can be stopped, he replied: “Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland? I’m not sure they have but we are going to have to try. I think he’s such an unbelievable player, the things he does, the numbers he puts up, you’re just in awe of how good he is and the level he’s at.
“But also, it’s not just him. They’ve got other good players as well that we play against regularly in the Premier League that we need to be mindful of. They’re a really good team. I think that’s what their biggest super strength is, that as a team, as a unit, they’re so strong.”
England face Norway in Miami at 10pm UK time on Saturday evening. A victory in that match will see them progress to the semi-final, where they’ll come up against either Argentina or Switzerland.