Norway squad hit by sickness bug ahead of England World Cup quarter-final clash

According to Norwegian outlet Dagbladet, illness has struck the Norway camp ahead of their first-ever World Cup quarter-final meeting with England on Saturday. Jorgen Strand Larsen missed the opening game with a fever, while Marcus Holmgren Pedersen was absent from Sunday's 2-1 victory over Brazil in the last 16 due to a similar bug. Erling Haaland, who is Norway's top scorer with seven goals, netted a brace to help secure their historic spot in the last eight.

However, manager Stale Solbakken was spotted coughing violently following a 4-1 group stage defeat to France, expressing concern over the toll that constant travel has taken on the squad.

Addressing the situation, Solbakken provided full details on the health of his squad. "We’ve really only had Jorgen who has had a fever," Solbakken said. "But then there’s been a bit of coughing and rasping evenly, scattered throughout. But there’s air conditioning, flights, changing rooms and all that. We’re over 50 people so it would be strange if one or the other didn’t come."

The manager remains hopeful that Pedersen will recover in time for the weekend, though he backed Julian Ryerson to continue stepping up. Solbakken believes the immense pressure and rapid changes of the tournament have contributed to Pedersen's physical collapse as Norway navigate their unprecedented run.

Solbakken elaborated on Pedersen's absence, stating: "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'. 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."

Meanwhile, England advance after overcoming Mexico 3-2 in a thrilling last-16 encounter. Thomas Tuchel's side are heavily reliant on Harry Kane, who is England's top scorer with six goals. However, they are dealing with fitness problems, as Reece James is ruled out with a hamstring strain.

As Saturday's quarter-final approaches, both nations face a race against time to get their key players fully fit. England dream of continuing their journey to repeat their 1966 World Cup triumph, but they must do so without the injured Jordan Henderson. Norway, meanwhile, must quickly overcome their travel fatigue if they are to produce another historic upset.