Norway
Norway have been the tournament's great story, riding Haaland's seven goals and Martin Odegaard's creativity to a first deep run in a generation, capped by a defeat of Brazil in which goalkeeper Orjan Nyland saved a penalty and produced the save of the tournament. In my opinion they are more than a one-man team, with Odegaard dictating and Sorloth offering a second focal point, but their whole approach still runs through getting Haaland into scoring positions. They have both scored and conceded in all five outings, which tells me they are more than capable of finding ways to score but equally struggle at the other end of the pitch. I expect Solbakken to set up patiently and trust Haaland to punish any England lapse.
Predicted Lineup: Nyland; Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Moller Wolfe; Berg, Berge, Odegaard; Nusa, Haaland, Sorloth.
England
England ground out a win over Mexico with a rapid Jude Bellingham brace and a composed Harry Kane penalty, though the red card for Jarell Quansah forced them to defend for long spells and exposed some fragility at the back. Thomas Tuchel must now reshuffle his right side with Quansah suspended, and I expect Reece James to come in there. My read on this is that England have the deeper squad and the calmer finishers, but the Miami heat and their recent habit of conceding mean this will not be comfortable. Bellingham has grown into the tournament and is the man I trust most to find a decisive moment.
Predicted Lineup: Pickford; O’Reilly, Guehi, Konsa, James; Rice, Anderson; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane.
