Norway captain Martin \u00d8degaard is trying to keep the laughs to a minimum as his team turns its attention to England in a World Cup quarter-final, a match that will place club teammates on the international stage and set up a fascinating test of familiarity.<\/p>\n
\u00d8degaard, who also leads Arsenal in club football, will come up against several fellow Premier League winners when Norway meet England at Miami Stadium on Saturday. The list includes Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze.<\/p>\n
The midfielder said he has exchanged words with some of them during the tournament, but insists the focus now is entirely on the competitive job in front of him rather than friendly conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot too much (banter). I\u2019ve spoken to a few of them a little bit during the tournament,\u201d \u00d8degaard said to reporters on Wednesday, smiling as he addressed the prospect of facing teammates.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cObviously 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\u2019s going to be a big test for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00d8degaard singled out Rice for particular praise, highlighting the midfielder\u2019s importance in England\u2019s structure and suggesting that could make the middle of the pitch a key battleground in the quarter-final.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s someone who always gives absolutely everything for the team, always fighting for every single ball, bringing his energy to the pitch, to the team, driving the team forward,\u201d \u00d8degaard said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can do so many things on the pitch. He can defend, he can attack, he can be physical, he can be good on the ball. He\u2019s a very complete player, so it\u2019s going to be a good test for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cAnd it\u2019s not just about Declan, but the whole team has unbelievable players. It\u2019s a massive test and we\u2019re looking forward to it. Hopefully we can make even more history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Norway will carry confidence into the last-eight meeting after their upset win over Brazil in the previous round, a result that secured a quarter-final place for the first time in their history. \u00d8degaard believes that belief can still fuel another surprise, even if the underdog label is once again expected to follow them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Brazil (in the last 16) was the same, we were the underdogs and, as you saw, anything can happen in football,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to give it a good try, see what we can do and are looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe have to have the belief in ourselves. We\u2019ve shown the whole world that we\u2019re a good team. In football, anything is possible. Even though we\u2019re the underdogs again, let\u2019s see what happens and let\u2019s prepare well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Norway captain Martin \u00d8degaard is trying to keep the laughs to a minimum as his team turns its attention to England in a World Cup quarter-final, a match that will place club teammates on the international stage and set up a fascinating test of familiarity. \u00d8degaard, who also leads Arsenal in club football, will come […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"\u00d8degaard vs England: Arsenal Stars Clash in World Cup QF","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Martin \u00d8degaard faces England in the World Cup quarter-final, with Arsenal teammates set for a Premier League reunion at Miami Sta","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n