Martin Ødegaard and Norway embracing 'underdog' status ahead of England World Cup quarterfinal
· Yahoo Sports
Martin Ødegaard is looking to leverage his Premier League know-how to pull off another stunning FIFA World Cup upset against England. Norway faces the Three Lions in Miami on Saturday, with the winner booking their place in the semifinals.
The match will also bring together a host of familiar faces, with Ødegaard and Erling Haaland set to square off against several of their club teammates and domestic rivals.
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Norway captain Ødegaard is hoping to use that inside knowledge to his side's advantage as the Scandinavians chase a spot in the last four, as per The Mirror.
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Speaking ahead of Saturday's game, he said: "Obviously, we know the quality they have. I know them really well.
"Outstanding players, world-class players, playing for probably one of the best national teams in the world at the moment, so it's going to be a big test for us.
"But I think Brazil was the same. We were the underdogs and, as you saw, anything can happen in football, so, yeah, we're going to give it a good try and see what we can do, and looking forward to it.
"It's true that a lot of us play in England, so we know them quite well. Obviously, we've been playing against a lot of these players in the league, so we know them but it's about the whole team.
"We have to be prepared, we have to analyse the opponent like we always do and we have to have the belief in ourselves."
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Norway have enjoyed a remarkable run to the quarterfinals, having advanced as runners-up in their group behind France, before securing convincing victories over the Ivory Coast and, most notably, Brazil.
While Ødegaard and his teammates have embraced their underdog status, he has put England on notice that Norway remains a dangerous team. He added: "I think we've showed the whole world that we're a good team and, as I said, in football anything is possible and even though we're the underdogs again, let's see what happens.
"Let's prepare well and let's keep enjoying our football and this moment together, so let's see."
One danger England will need to be acutely aware of is Haaland, who has flourished on his World Cup debut. The Manchester City striker already has seven goals to his name - two of which came in the victory over Brazil.
The victors between England and Norway will secure a berth in Wednesday's semifinal in Atlanta, where they will face either Argentina or Switzerland.