Norway rocked by illness worries ahead of England World Cup quarter-final
Footballers seem to be dropping like flies as the World Cup knockout stages come to a close.
Teams from across the globe are now preparing for their quarter-final clashes, including the Three Lions, who are going up against Norway this weekend.
And according to reports, England's rivals have run into a few issues ahead of the high-stakes bout - and a number of aces have been 'coughing and rasping'.
This is less then ideal for Norway, given that their place in the final eight hinges on the result of Saturday's (11 July) game at the Miami Stadium in Florida.
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Still, the Scandinavian side somehow pulled it out the bag while taking on Brazil on Sunday (5 July), thanks to star player Erling Haaland bagging two impressive goals.
Despite their opponents being favourites for the fixture, Norway managed to surprise even themselves with the 2-1 win.
Norway boss Stale Solbakken described it as the 'greatest night in Norwegian football history', saying of his squad: "Everyone played their part. This is a great group.
"They love being together, they train well, they help each other and protect each other. We have a strong culture and we have an opportunity to let people be themselves and say whatever they want.
"That’s very important both when things go well and when they don’t."
Football pundit and former Manchester United ace Gary Neville reckons England 'should' triumph over Norway on Saturday, but he warned it is 'going to be tough'.
However, it seems Thomas Tuchel's men might have a slight advantage over their opponents now, given what is reportedly unfolding among Solbakken's squad.
Fresh from Sunday's win, Solbakken addressed the media on Monday (6 July) morning to discuss how he was feeling about the upcoming match.
The team have now touched down in Miami - and apparently, the travelling they have been doing during the tournament is now catching up to a few players.
Jørgen Strand Larsen missed training before Norway's opener against Iraq and the Crystal Palace striker ended up staying on the bench for this clash.
Following that, Marcus Holmgren Pedersen was also not fit to play against Brazil.
"He didn't have a fever and was training, but he felt like his body wasn't quite keeping up," Solbakken said of the right-back, as per Norwegian media outlet Dagbladet.
"Then I think it crept up on him - that he felt a little worse. I think, without being a doctor, that it’s a combination of the boy being young, he’s come to the World Cup and thought, ‘I’m going to be a backup for Julian [Ryerson]’.
"He’s had two games and played great, got a lot of impressions, his head is full, his body is full of impressions, and the system is collapsing a bit."
Apparently, a few of Solbakken's players are a bit under the weather at the minute, as he explained some stars have been 'coughing and rasping' over recent days.
"Really, only Jorgen has had a fever, though there’s been some coughing and rasping here and there," the 58-year-old went on. "But then again, there’s the air conditioning, the flying, the traveling, and all that.
"There are over fifty of us, so it would be strange if nothing popped up."
The amount of players impacted by the 'coughing and rasping' remains unclear.
Solbakken previously said he reckons England will be 'a very strong opponent' and that he is hoping for a 'very even and tight game' this weekend.
World Cup 2026 fixture schedule and UK kick off times
Tuesday, 7 July
Round of 16 - Match 95: Argentina vs Egypt, kick-off 5pm - Atlanta, US
Round of 16 - Match 96: Switzerland vs Colombia, kick-off 9pm - Vancouver, Canada
Thursday, 9 July
Quarter-final - Match 97: France vs Morocco, kick-off 9pm - Foxborough, US
Friday, 10 July
Quarter-final - Match 98: Match 93 winners vs Match 94 winners, kick-off 8pm - Los Angeles, US
Saturday, 11 July
Quarter-final - Match 99: Norway vs England, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US
Sunday, 12 July
Quarter-final - Match 100: Match 95 winners vs Match 96 winners, kick-off 2am - Kansas City, US
Tuesday, 14 July
Semi-final - Match 101: Match 97 winners vs Match 98 winners, kick-off 8pm - Arlington, US
Wednesday, 15 July
Semi-final - Match 102: Match 99 winners vs Match 100 winners, kick-off 8pm - Atlanta, US
Saturday, 18 July
Third Place Playoff - Match 103: Match 101 losers vs Match 102 losers, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US
Sunday, 19 July
Final - Match 104: Match 101 winners vs Match 102 winners, kick-off 8pm - New Jersey, US
Olivia Burke