England v Norway LIVE: Three Lions handed double health increase on Guehi and Rice earlier than World Cup quarter-final
England are gearing up for their World Cup quarter-final against Norway tonight after positive news regarding two potential fitness doubts of Marc Guehi and Declan Rice.
Thomas Tuchel looked set to be forced to rejig his defence, making changes to the side that fended off co-hosts Mexico on enemy soil in one of England’s all-time great World Cup performances last time out. Guehi has been nursing a hamstring strain picked up at the Estadio Azteca, while Rice – who has had his own injury issues of late – was kept away from the squad with illness amid fears a bug could spread – but both returned to training on Friday and could be set to feature.
Tuchel was already facing selection headaches with Jarell Quansah ruled out of the last-eight clash after receiving a two-match ban for his red card against Mexico. Any potential defensive disruption would be far from ideal against Erling Haaland and co. – Norway knocked out Brazil in their last outing, and are rowing along a wave of positivity at this tournament.
Follow all of the latest ahead of the World Cup quarter-final with our live blog below:
Nico O’Reilly refuses to believe Erling Haaland is the only problem between England and victory
“No, not at all,” O’Reilly said when asked whether keeping Haaland quiet would effectively win England the game.
“They’ve got great players all around the pitch who can cause a lot of danger. But of course, if we can keep him quiet, it would be a huge factor.”
Bukayo Saka on fitness at World Cup
“I think across the tournament, my minutes have been building and building,” Saka said.
“Of course, I would love to come to this tournament 100%, but that wasn’t the case, and everyone’s realised that and they’ve managed me in the best way possible.
“But right now, I’m feeling great and I’m ready to go.”
Alan Shearer on how England can stop Haaland
“That’s the big question on Saturday; how do we nullify Haaland. I mean, Haaland to Norway is what Kane is to England. So, they’ll be asking the same question. How did they stop Harry Kane? Because they’ll feel if they stop him, they’ve got a much better chance of winning and vice versa with Haaland. It’s easier said than done. I used to go into games myself and I know that everyone was looking for me to score the goals, and I enjoyed that and I really embraced it. And these two will as well,” Shearer told Betfair.
“You’ve got to hope that he has an off day because there’s not many players that can handle him. You’ve got to try and stop crosses going into the box, try and stop him at source, which means getting the ball into him. So, it’s not just the centre halves that have got to stop him, but the other players have got to stop the ball going into him.”
The next Messi vs Ronaldo?
England defender Ezri Konsa believes Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland could cement a Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi-like rivalry over the next two decades.
Asked by ITV if they might eventually mimic the profile of Ronaldo and Messi’s storied rivalry, Konsa replied: “It very well could be. You’ve got Neymar coming up as well, who is another top, top, top player, so in 15 years’ time, I’ll probably be sitting on my sofa watching Haaland or Jude being one of the two GOATs (greatest of all time) of world football.”

Thomas Tuchel explains why England need to take another big step
Thomas Tuchel is ready to take another big step as England look to overcome heat, humidity and Erling Haaland in their crunch World Cup quarter-final clash against Norway.
After digging deep to beat the Democratic Republic of Congo and co-hosts Mexico, the back-to-back European Championship finalists are just three wins away from immortality.
England take on Brazil’s conquerors Norway in the Miami heat at Hard Rock Stadium seeking progress to Wednesday’s semi-final against holders Argentina or surprise package Switzerland.
Tuchel’s men arrived in Florida buoyed by last weekend’s unforgettable 3-2 triumph at the electric Estadio Azteca, but the head coach is only interested in tackling the next challenge.
“I think we took a big step in our last match, but it was only a step,” the England boss said. “We’re still hungry, we still have dreams, and we still have a big goal to play for.
“The next step is to win the quarter-final. It’s important to look up front. We left this match behind.
“We take the positive things and the belief with us, but everything that matters is ahead of us.”

Thomas Tuchel insists England have had ‘no explanation’ for Jarell Quansah ban
Is the Falklands War a factor? The geopolitics at play for World Cup refereeing appointments
It could well be Argentina next for the winner of this encounter – and the long shadow of the Falklands War still hangs over this World Cup. Kieran Jackson explains.
England’s World Cup run could boost UK economy by £7.6bn as 6.7 million set to watch Norway clash in pubs
England’s World Cup run could deliver a £7.6bn boost to the UK economy, with pubs, bars, restaurants and retailers enjoying a spending surge as millions of fans prepare to watch the Three Lions’ quarter-final clash against Norway.
An estimated 24.1 million people are expected to tune in for Saturday’s match, according to VoucherCodes.co.uk, making it one of the biggest television audiences of the tournament. The discount site predicts football fans will spend £385.5m during the game alone, the highest of any England match so far.
David Beckham visits England ahead of quarter-final
Harry Kane says England are hoping to do Sir David Beckham proud after the former captain spoke to the players on the eve of their World Cup quarter-final with Norway.
Beckham visited Thomas Tuchel’s men as they stepped up preparations for the crunch clash with Erling Haaland and Co in Miami on Saturday.
They trained on Friday afternoon at the facilities of Inter Miami – the Major League Soccer side co-owned by Beckham.
The 51-year-old star was in attendance for the session in Fort Lauderdale, alongside sons Romeo and Cruz, and spoke to players in the gym before they took to the field, having been at a number of their World Cup matches this summer.
Kane revealed Beckham, who won 115 caps for his country, wished the team luck as they try to reach just a third World Cup semi-final in 60 years.
The Bayern Munich striker said: “He just wished us luck. After most games, he messages me, and we stay in touch.
“He’s a big England fan. We all know how much it meant for him to represent England and be captain and play the way he did every time he wore the shirt, so he was there to support us.
“Obviously, we were using his home, the home that he built, so we appreciate him doing that for us.
“It was good to catch up with him, and for some of the other lads to have a chat with him. He’s an England legend.
“He was wishing us well and hopefully we can do him proud tomorrow.”

