Norway doctor forced to issue statement over player 'sickness' reports ahead of England clash

Norway's team doctor has issued a public statement after their manager Stale Solbakken sparked fears over sickness in the camp ahead of their quarter-final clash against England in Miami.

Norway defeated Brazil 2-1 in their last 16 clash in New Jersey through a second-half brace from Erling Haaland.

They had a fully-fit squad for the fixture except for Torino defender Marcus Pedersen, who was absent through illness.

In his post-match press conference, former Wolves and Copenhagen head coach Solbakken said that Pedersen "felt like his body wasn't quite keeping up" on the morning of the game, having taken a full part in training in the build-up.

He went on to explain that striker Jorgen Strand Larsen had been suffering from a fever - which the Crystal Palace man says he has now recovered from - and added that there had been "a bit of coughing and rasping evenly, scattered throughout."

"There's air conditioning, flights, changing rooms and all that," Solbakken stated. "We're over 50 people, so it would be strange if one or the other didn't come."

The head coach's comments appeared to be addressing general fatigue amongst the squad after a significant amount of travelling during the World Cup so far.

For instance, they had to travel 1,100 miles from the Dallas Stadium to their base in Greensboro, North Carolina after beating Ivory Coast 2-1 in their round of 32 clash.

They then had an extra 500-plus mile journey to the MetLife Stadium (known as the New York/New Jersey Stadium for sponsorship reasons) for their clash against Brazil.

But the speculation surrounding the health of Norway's squad has prompted their team doctor Ola Sand to issue a statement denying that there are concerns ahead of the England clash.

"All players are healthy now," Sand told Norwegian outlet Nettavisen.

"Very little fuss considering that we have been close together for almost six weeks. So great that they believe this [the sickness bug rumour]. We are in control."

Weather fears hit Miami ahead of Norway vs England

According to NBC 6 Miami, there is a chance of 'isolated thunderstorms' during Saturday, when Norway and England face off in their World Cup quarter-final.

On Monday, the chance of rain across the day stood at 30 per cent, though this has since been revised to 20 per cent.

READ MORE: England could face fresh World Cup chaos as quarter-final tie confirmed

Temperatures are predicted to reach a high of 35 degrees Celsius in Miami, which may provide another element of concern to both sides.

Performance-impairing heat - where the temperatures can directly impact fatigue, running speed and distance among other physical areas - is adjudged to be when conditions are at over 28 degrees Celsius.

England's round of 32 clash against DR Congo, which they won 2-1, had a forecast high of 34 degrees Celsius in Atlanta, though the temperature inside the stadium was significantly lower due to cooling technologies in place.

Their last 16 clash against Mexico, meanwhile, was delayed by an hour due to thunderstorms in Mexico City, with protocol mandating that outdoor activities are suspended by 30 minutes after each lightning strike, and 30 minutes after a final strike.