Norway no longer overawed by World Cup, says Solbakken as England await

MIAMI, July 10 : Norway have shed their World Cup jitters and now believe deep down they can beat England in the quarter-finals, coach Stale Solbakken said on Friday as his team prepare for the biggest game in the nation's history.

The Norwegians are gearing up for their first World Cup last-eight appearance and Solbakken urged his players not to be overawed by the occasion when they face Thomas Tuchel's England side on Saturday.

"The most important thing for me is that we are ourselves with the ball and that we dare to play the game and not the whole environment, and that we concentrate on the pitch," Solbakken told reporters.

"I would like to see a Norway team that plays to their strengths and that we are ourselves."

Norway's tournament got off to a shaky start against Iraq, with Solbakken admitting his players seemed overwhelmed by the occasion in their group opener before finding their rhythm in a 4-1 victory.

"You saw a very nervous team in the first 20 minutes against Iraq where we didn't manage to put two passes together," he said.

"That has to do something with the occasion, that it was 26 years ago (since Norway's last major tournament) and no one had played in the World Cup before."

CONFIDENCE BOOSTED BY BEATING BRAZIL

But the coach believes his players have found their feet after beating strong opponents like Brazil in the last-16, giving them the confidence to take on England's formidable attacking threat.

"Obviously, when you meet a team like England who have great players on the wings. (Jude) Bellingham and (Harry) Kane, they can score from many positions," Solbakken said.

"They have a great duo in the middle of the park. We need to compete there, we need to defend properly.

"The players deep down feel that they can beat England. But obviously, we have to be at our very, very best. If we are not, England will go through."

HEAT ADVISORY IN MIAMI

With temperatures expected to soar to a heat index of 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 degrees Celsius) on Saturday and authorities in Miami issuing a heat advisory, Solbakken said Norway took no chances with their preparation.

"We have trained very lightly. We haven't done much hard work," Solbakken said.

"We have obviously had tactical sessions, but in a lower tempo and we've not trained for long periods. So it's all about being fresh tomorrow."

The coach also praised his squad's mental state heading into the biggest match of their careers, saying they have maintained their composure despite the mounting pressure.

"They have been really good at keeping their calm. They like to be together and they needed one more day after the Brazil game to really come back into the right mood for the next game," he said.

"But we had five days, so that was no problem. We have had three good preparation days now, so we should be there."

When asked what would be the biggest reason for Norway's success if they do knock England out on Saturday, the coach smiled and said: "I will answer that if we beat them."