England face Erling Haaland’s Norway in Miami on Saturday for a place in the World Cup semi-finals, but the Manchester City striker is happy his country is the underdog.
A candid look at Erling Haaland (Image: Sky Sports)
Erling Haaland has identified England as favorites to face Norway, insisting all the pressure is on Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions. The Manchester City striker is looking to beat Harry Kane as he enjoys a duel with John Stones, who could become close friends with club teammate Mark Guehi in Miami.
Asked if Norway was an underdog, he said: “Yes, absolutely. I think everyone should remain humble, but we have the right to be confident moving forward.”
Haaland also insisted that Norway were unlikely to finish the tournament despite a series of high-profile disasters, most notably Brazil’s exit. Before the tournament, I had expected it to be 25%. He said, “(The chances of winning the World Cup) are still really low.
“There are some obvious favorites and England are one of them. You should put all the pressure on the England players. It’s definitely a special game.
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“For me, this game is very special because I play in England and I was born in England. It’s going to be an interesting game against my team-mates, but it’s going to be a good game.”
The 25-year-old has scored a whopping seven goals so far and is looking to add to that tally at Florida. But for Haaland, making Norwegians proud is a far greater motivation than finding the back of the net.
He added: “I’m having so much fun. It was crazy for us Norwegians to play against Brazil. To win that game and then play England in the World Cup quarter-finals in America is very special.”
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Erling Haaland leads Norway to the last eight (Image: Al Bello/Getty Images)
“When you look at what you see in your home country, this is not normal for Norway. It’s something very special. Just being able to play in the World Cup is a huge honor for me and a big goal of my career. To be able to come here and play with my Norwegian friends on the biggest stage against the best team in the world is really special.”
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