Humble, resilient, and mentally more prepared than ever before—yet with the weight of history bearing down on its back and shoulders— England faces Norway—the “rowers”—in the third World Cup quarterfinal at 12:00 a.m.

The Vikings are setting sail in this year’s World Cup, with Odegaard and Haaland leading the charge against every opponent that tries to stop their… their “frigate” on its journey this summer. The roar, the synchronized movement, and the collective effort of fans and players alike are driving Solbakken’s team to remarkable achievements.

The English are in the World Cup quarterfinals for the 11th time, unlike the Norwegians, who—returning to the tournament after many years—are making their first appearance in this stage of the competition.

The “Three Lions” are facing a team that has scored 12 goals and conceded 9 in five matches so far in the World Cup. The last team to both score and concede double-digit goals while reaching the semifinals was West Germany in 1954, which went on to win the trophy.

The North Koreans, however, have never defeated a European opponent at the World Cup level and have failed to score in their four most recent matches against England, which holds a 7-2 record in those matches.

As is well known, Quansa is suspended for two matches for the British side, while Rice, James, and Gechi are doubtful, Moller-Wolfe is ready to face Norway, and of course Haaland, with 7 goals to his name, is setting his sights on… something truly spectacular.

Possible starting lineups

Norway: Nyland, Ryersson, Aager, Heggem, Wolfe, Berg, Berge, Bobb, Edegard, Sildrup, Haaland

England: Pickford, Spence, Konsa, Ghechi, O’Reilly, Rice, Anderson, Saka, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane

*photo source: AP