Solbakken Signals One Squad Adjustment for Norway's England World Cup Clash

Norway's head coach, Ståle Solbakken, has confirmed no fresh injury concerns for his team as they gear up to make more history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After securing the second position in Group I, Norway demonstrated composure to clinch knockout stage victories against Ivory Coast and Brazil. These wins have propelled them into their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal, where they will face England in Miami.

Erling Haaland's remarkable seven goals have been crucial to Norway's successful run in the tournament. Throughout their campaign in North America, Solbakken has largely maintained a consistent starting lineup. The same first eleven players featured in their initial two group wins against Iraq and Senegal. However, he opted to rotate most of his squad for the final group stage match, which resulted in a loss to France, as their knockout qualification was already assured.

Ahead of the highly anticipated encounter with England, reports from Norway suggest that Solbakken intends to make only one alteration to his starting lineup. This follows a single change he implemented between their Round of 32 and last 16 triumphs. Andreas Schjelderup is now expected to be handed a starting role, replacing Antonio Nusa. Schjelderup's strong performance, particularly his two assists for Haaland's goals in the 2-1 victory over Brazil, appears to have swayed the coach's decision in his favour.

The Benfica midfielder has primarily been deployed as an impact substitute so far, with his only previous start coming in the 4-1 defeat to France, where he also provided an assist for Thelo Aasgaard. While he typically saw around 20 minutes of action in the three matches surrounding that fixture, Solbakken's decision to play him for the entire second half against the Samba Boys in place of Nusa seems to have cemented his place for the upcoming quarterfinal. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid forward Alexander Sorloth is set to continue in his adapted right-wing position, operating on the opposite flank to Haaland.