Norway are just days away from their Quarter Final clash in Miami against England on Saturday. The Vikings' camp has grown with concern over the health of many key players ahead of their biggest clash so far in the tournament.
After beating Brazil 2-1, courtesy of two amazing finishes by Haaland, manager Stale Solbakken has given his players plenty of time off ahead of their first ever World Cup Quarter Final clash.
"We had matchwinners in both ends of the pitch. I just told them, Erling (Haaland), you can all go out tonight," Stale Solbakken said.
As per Dagbladet, fears over colds, fatigues and jet lag have caused distress in the Norway camp. Having already missed some players due to this, the fear continues to grow ahead of their clash against England.
Crystal Palace striker, Strand Larsen missed training and the game against Iraq in their group stage match due to illness. Torino right back Holmgren Pedersen also missed their clash against Brazil due to contracting a bug.
However it isn't just players who are suffering. Manager Stale Solbakken was seen aggressively coughing during his press conference ahead of the France group stage clash.
Why Illness Has Spread Through Norway's Camp
Since arriving in America in June, the dark horses have been in the air for just as long as they've been training.
After basing in North Carolina, they had two trips to Boston with a break in New Jersey in between. Norway then beat Ivory Coast in Dallas before having to beat Brazil in New Jersey. They now look forward to a clash in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.
With the squad having travelled 2,228 miles just to get to Dallas and back, there is no doubt the usual bugs are infiltrating the Norway camp. However this hasn't slowed them down as they are now playing in the Quarter Finals for the first time and have taken over social media with their rowing celebration.
"We have really only had Jorgen who has had a fever, but then there has been some coughing and clearing his throat all over, spread out. But it's air conditioning, planes, switching and all that. We are over 50 men so it would be strange if something didn't come," Solbakken believes.
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Will Norway Have A Full Squad Against England?
There is still plenty of time for things to change, however there are no expected misses for Norway ahead of their clash on Saturday.
Haaland currently joint leads the goal scoring rankings, level on 7 with Mbappe and Messi. With his focus on scoring in a Norway shock win on Saturday, he will need the aid of his healthy teammates.
