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I’ve been cheering on DR Congo and Mexico in recent weeks, but I really can’t look past England in this one.

Thomas Tuchel’s side have all the momentum after their 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca, which (annoyingly) is one of the best results that England have ever managed at a major tournament given the circumstances.

This will be Norway’s first ever appearance in a World Cup quarter final, while England have reached this stage or further in each of the last three tournaments.

I think England will be more familiar with the demands at this stage of the tournament and have the star players in Kane and Bellingham to produce the moments they need to reach the semi finals. 

England have lost just one of their last 15 matches, keeping 10 clean sheets across these games.

Norway have failed to keep any shutouts at the World Cup and their backline will be vulnerable to the individual quality that England have in forward areas. 

As for Bellingham, he’s been fouled in four of his five World Cup matches, drawing multiple fouls in two of these games.

He’s got a clear physical advantage on all three of Norway’s midfielders and his runs through central areas will require attention. 

This is a consistent part of Bellingham’s game too, he averaged 2.54 fouls won per 90 during qualifying and 2.58 fouls won per 90 across 22 starts for Real Madrid in LaLiga last term.

Harry Kane is the best player in this England side and has been brilliant at the World Cup so far, providing seven goal contributions across his five starts with six of these being goals.

I saw someone say the other day that we still don’t appreciate Kane as a world class player. 

He’s not quite as flashy as Yamal or Mbappe and because we expect him to deliver so regularly for his country, it’s easy to forget just how talented Kane is.

Kane has taken 19 shots at the World Cup (3.86 per 90), impressively seeing 10 of these efforts find the target (2.03 per 90). 

This is a shot accuracy of 53% which is solid for this level, and shows that Kane is usually consistent when it comes to getting his efforts on target. 

This Norway team is built around Erling Haaland who has scored seven goals across his four starts at the World Cup.

He’s registered 2+ shots on target in all four of these appearances, taking 18 shots overall (4.50 per 90), seeing 12 of these efforts find the target (3.00 per 90).

Haaland was barely involved against Brazil until the final 10 minutes of the contest, and still came away with the two goals that earned his nation a spot in their first ever quarter final tie, showing how it only takes a moment for Haaland to come alive.

Haaland has committed a foul in three of his four matches at the World Cup so far, committing 2+ fouls in two of them games.

I’m looking forward to seeing his battle with Ezri Konsa who has won 2+ fouls in four of his five World Cup matches, winning 3+ fouls in two of these games - including against Mexico last time out, where he had a similar duel against Raul Jimenez.

I can see Haaland getting frustrated at times here as he’s not a player that sees loads of the ball (24.8 touches per 90), so there should be situations where he has to chase down lost causes and commit fouls, with Konsa being an ideal opponent. 

Kane has committed a foul in four of his five World Cup matches, committing 2+ fouls in three of these games.

His role under Tuchel allows him to drop deep into central areas to receive the ball, which also sees Kane involved in more duels than he usually is.

Kane committed two fouls against Mexico last time out and will be in a battle with Ajer and Heggem who will be aware of Kane’s clever movement and I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of them follow him in when he does drop deep. 

Kane averaged 0.94 fouls committed per 90 during the recent Bundesliga season, with that number rising slightly at the World Cup to 1.42 fouls per 90.

Elliot Anderson wasn't fouled against Mexico but I'm confident he'll get back to his amazing foul-drawing abilities in this Quarter-Final.

He was fouled multiple times in each of England's first three matches at this World Cup, including reaching 3+ fouls won against Ghana and Panama.

Norway's midfield three of Odegaard, Berge and Berg should make for a good battle and one where we see fouls made.

Out of possession, Patrick Berg will be using his high energy in the press and Sander Berge will be taking with stopping England's central players from driving forwards as more of the enforcer in Norway's team.

Jude Bellingham was immense in England’s win over Mexico at the Azteca last time out, notably winning two fouls, and has won eight fouls across his five starts at the World Cup overall (1.78 per 90).

England are very good at winning fouls generally; no side has won more fouls than England at this World Cup, and Bellingham can once again be a difficult player to stop here without bringing him down.

Bellingham likes to drive with the ball through central areas and is really hard to stop when he hits his stride.

No one in the Norwegian midfield quite has the physicality to match Bellingham, so I see there being situations where they simply have to bring him down.

Martin Odegaard for a single shot is as simple as it gets on paper.

He has had a shot in every appearance at this World Cup, with him going further and having three shots against Senegal and three shots against Brazil in Norway's last match.

In terms of the averages, Odegaard is averaging 2.05 shots per 90 minutes, which is way above what we're needing from him here; he also averaged a massive 3.20 shots per 90 minutes during qualifying.

Odegaard is on free-kicks for Norway, which is a big benefit.

This bet has landed in all five of Norway’s games and four of England’s five matches at the World Cup.

Norway have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their World Cup matches, but have scored 2+ goals in four of their five matches - so they clearly trust their ability in attacking areas.

Both sides have issues defensively. England have conceded in both of their knockout matches against Mexico and DR Congo, with their only clean sheets coming against Panama and Ghana.

We’ve also got two of the tournament's top scorers on display here in Kane and Haaland, so it’s likely that we do see both forward lines be clinical when it comes to goals against backlines that are far from secure.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have been the star men for England at this World Cup, and it is the latter that I'm going to back to score or assist against Norway.

Bellingham has provided five goal contributions in five starts so far, which breaks down into four goals and one assist.

As good as Norway have been, they haven't been convincing in defence. They have conceded in every game at the World Cup so far.

Jude Bellingham was immense in England’s win over Mexico at the Azteca last time out, notably winning two fouls, and has won eight fouls across his five starts at the World Cup overall (1.78 per 90).

England are very good at winning fouls generally; no side has won more fouls than England at this World Cup, and Bellingham can once again be a difficult player to stop here without bringing him down.

Bellingham likes to drive with the ball through central areas and is really hard to stop when he hits his stride.

No one in the Norwegian midfield quite has the physicality to match Bellingham, so I see there being situations where they simply have to bring him down.

Sander Berge looks a solid shout for a card in this one. He hasn't been carded yet but I can see how it could come about with him lining up against the likes of Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson as direct opponents.

Those three England central midfield players are averaging 3.72 fouls won per 90 minutes between them.

Berge is an enforcer in midfield, we're all familiar with his style having watched him for Sheffield United, Burnley and Fulham.

Haaland: ✅✅✅✅
Kane: ✅✅✅✅✅
Bellingham: ✅❌✅✅✅

What a boost this is for England's quarter final clash against Norway on Saturday evening, it's exclusive to ABC and you won't get these odds anywhere else.

Our last two exclusive Turbo Boosts on England games have won @ 2.0

Kane has taken 19 shots at the World Cup (3.86 per 90), impressively seeing 10 of these efforts find the target (2.03 per 90). 

This is a shot accuracy of 53% which is solid for this level, and shows that Kane is usually consistent when it comes to getting his efforts on target. 

This will be Norway’s first ever appearance in a World Cup quarter final, while England have reached this stage or further in each of the last three tournaments.

I think England will be more familiar with the demands at this stage of the tournament and have the star players in Kane and Bellingham to produce the moments they need to reach the semi finals. 

England have lost just one of their last 15 matches, keeping 10 clean sheets across these games.

England v Norway is being widely billed as a shootout between Harry Kane and Erling Haaland and there’s good reason for this.

Kane and Haaland are two of the players involved in the most thrilling Golden Boot race the World Cup has ever seen, with the England captain fourth in the standings on six and Norway’s talisman one ahead of him on seven.

Haaland ranks third in the World Cup for shots on target (12), with Kane currently fifth (10).

Of England’s 10 halves of World Cup games so far, Kane has scored in seven of them (70%).

Haaland’s strike rate is even stronger than this, with the Man City striker hitting the target in all eight halves of action for Norway at the World Cup so far (100%).

Both players won’t be short of motivation for this one and I’m expecting an epic battle between the pair in Miami.

I can’t get past the fact that Norway have conceded in all five of their matches so far and that this will be their first ever appearance in the quarter final of a World Cup.

They’ve done really well to get this far but I do think England will have the quality to pick them apart and can see this game taking a similar pattern to the Croatia game at times as Norway don’t really have the defensive discipline to sit deep for 90 minutes.

They kept the ball really well against Brazil, but England will be able to control the game better than Ancelotti’s side did in the last round and I see them punishing Norway with the talent of their frontline - with Kane and Bellingham being obvious candidates to contribute.

Harry Kane has scored in four of his five World Cup matches, netting six goals overall. He’s so consistent in front of goal for England that we’ve almost come to take him for granted at times with how often he comes up with an important goal.

Harry Kane has been sensational for England at the World Cup, registering seven goal contributions across his five starts.

He's scored in four of his five matches, also setting up a goal against Mexico last time out as England came away 3-2 winners at the Azteca.

Kane's overall record for England is pretty crazy - he's registered 103 goal contributions across his 119 caps for England with 85 of these being goals (0.71 per game).

This should be a really entertaining game, Norway have seen BTTS in all five of their matches at the World Cup and have seen a goal in both halves in four of these games - with the exception of their 2-1 win over Brazil last time out.

England have failed to keep a clean sheet in both of their knockout matches, seeing a goal in both halves in each of these matches.

Elliot Anderson wasn't fouled against Mexico but I'm confident he'll get back to his amazing foul-drawing abilities in this Quarter-Final.

He was fouled multiple times in each of England's first three matches at this World Cup, including reaching 3+ fouls won against Ghana and Panama.

Norway's midfield three of Odegaard, Berge and Berg should make for a good battle and one where we see fouls made.

Out of possession, Patrick Berg will be using his high energy in the press and Sander Berge will be taking with stopping England's central players from driving forwards as more of the enforcer in Norway's team.

Konsa has won 2+ fouls in four of his five matches at the World Cup, drawing three fouls at the Azteca last time out.

Konsa has struggled a little with the high line that England have been playing, which is interesting as he should be used to this setup from his time with Villa, where Unai Emery often wants his side to play with a very bold offside trap.

He’s won 11 fouls overall at the World Cup (2.20 per 90) and was one of the most consistent centre-backs in the Premier League over the recent campaign when it comes to winning fouls, averaging over 1.0 fouls won per 90 across the season.

I’m looking forward to seeing the individual battle between Haaland and England’s two centre-backs.

It’s clear that England don’t quite have the physical profile at centre back to manage Erling Haaland, unless Tuchel deploys Dan Burn, which is very unlikely, so I think Konsa and Guehi are going to try and be clever when they engage with the City striker.

Haaland has committed a foul in three of his four World Cup matches, committing multiple fouls in two of these games.

I think Konsa and Guehi will go down under the slightest bit of contact with the forward, the aim being to frustrate Haaland, who clearly has a physical advantage over both centre-backs.

The four-time winning WITNESS STAND (including at Group Two level), aims to go one better than his fine second in this race last season. His front-running style nearly paid dividends that day, just being beaten by a head. Clearly suited by this downhill track, he ought to be positioned well and is likely to prove hard to catch. The Expert Eye gelding also arrives in good form, following a narrow defeat in a Group Three at Epsom. I’m expecting a big run.

If RORY ROCKET can replicate an effortless Brighton handicap success four days ago. The Gary and Josh Moore-trained Acclaim gelding was completing a double at that venue and is clearly thriving at present. Despite the jockey not being able to claim a valuable 7lb here, I feel the selection is still so well-handicapped that he can get away with it. Let’s hope he is in the same form as last Tuesday!

After a comfortable group stage campaign, Argentina have had to dig deep in the knockout rounds. They needed extra time to get past Cape Verde in the round of 32, before producing a miraculous comeback from 2-0 down to beat Egypt last time out. Argentina have not been at their dominant best in the knockout stages, but they keep finding ways to win, and that resilience is ultimately what matters in a World Cup. 

Switzerland will be without Johan Manzambi, who has arguably been their best player at the World Cup, and they looked flat against Colombia in a 0-0 draw last time out. The combined tally of 0.7 xG generated was the lowest of any match in the tournament.

Lionel Messi has scored eight goals at the World Cup, putting him level with Kylian Mbappe despite only featuring from the bench in Argentina's final group stage match.

The 39-year-old could be clear at the top - he has missed two penalties in the competition so far. Against Cape Verde, Messi racked up nine shots and was unfortunate to see five of those efforts saved.

Still, he has scored in every World Cup appearance so far, while also providing one assist, which was for Cristian Romero against Egypt last time out, to start the comeback. The maestro is still operating at the highest level, and is given so much of the ball by Argentina. Even when he doesn’t have his best game, he is still influential in the final third.

Argentina cleared this line on their own against Cape Verde in the round of 32, before then racking up six corners against Egypt last time out. Switzerland are stronger than both of those opponents and will be confident of contributing to the corner tally here. 

The Swiss are averaging 9.6 corners per game at the World Cup so far, and this selection has landed in four of their five games. There were 10 corners in their last match against Colombia, with three corners for and seven conceded, even with that being one of the lowest-quality matches of the entire tournament.

With Johan Manzambi out, Fabian Rieder was introduced into the starting lineup against Colombia, and he put in a solid display, playing 103 minutes before being replaced in extra time. He racked up three shots in that match, with one hitting the target. Rieder was one of Switzerland's standout performers, and he accounted for almost half of the shots his team took. 

Rieder also managed two shots against Algeria in the previous knockout round despite only featuring off the bench. Rieder will have to play a key role for Switzerland on the counter, and that is exactly where he thrives. When the space opens up, he usually doesn’t hesitate to shoot, and that could be useful against a team like Argentina.

Granit Xhaka was fouled three times against Colombia in the previous round, playing a massive role in getting Switzerland into the quarter-finals. The Sunderland man is yet to miss a minute at the World Cup, highlighting how indispensable he is to Murat Yakin's system in the heart of midfield. 

Xhaka sees plenty of the ball, and is always looking to drop a bit deeper to receive the ball and progress the play. He has been adept at absorbing pressure and inviting contact to help the Swiss. Xhaka accounted for five of Switzerland's 12 fouls drawn against Algeria in the round of 32, while also landing this selection against Bosnia and Canada in the group stages. He has landed this in four of his five World Cup matches, averaging 2.25 fouls drawn per 90.

Enzo Fernandez has recorded at least one foul in all four of his World Cup appearances so far, landing this selection in two of those games, including two fouls against Egypt in the previous round. Operating in the heart of Argentina's midfield, the Chelsea man is given a large defensive burden, tasked with cutting out counter-attacks and winning the ball high up the field to help Argentina sustain pressure. He has to be tenacious in his tackles, which explains his foul record. 

This looks an excellent matchup to target his fouls, considering Switzerland were fouled 21 times against Colombia last time out. Enzo Fernandez should find duels against former Arsenal man Granit Xhaka in midfield here, and that is a matchup to keep an eye on.

Argentina have looked vulnerable on the break in their knockout matches, which Egypt were able to exploit. The South American side also conceded eight corners and 16 shots against Cape Verde in the Round of 32. 

Switzerland are unlikely to sit back and absorb pressure given how they have approached previous knockout matches, and Zakaria operating from right back has shown a willingness to push into advanced positions. He had two shots against both Qatar and Algeria in previous games, and his aerial presence from set pieces provides an additional angle for him to contribute going forward and land this selection.

Remo Freuler looks set for a pivotal role in the heart of midfield here alongside Xhaka. The 34-year-old is yet to pick up a booking at the World Cup, but he has still been a combative figure, recording seven infringements across his five starts. He has been fortunate to escape a caution up until this point, but this upcoming clash against Argentina looks like his toughest matchup yet. 

Freuler picked up six yellows in 40 appearances for Bologna in the 25/26 campaign, after accumulating nine bookings in the season before. He has been no stranger to the referee’s notebook, and will now find duels against Messi, who is averaging 2.85 fouls drawn per 90 at the World Cup.

Dan Ndoye is another player who has been a difficult player to contain, averaging 4.46 fouls drawn per 90 at the World Cup. Not only is that the highest figure in the Switzerland squad, but it’s also one of the highest of any player in the competition. 

The Nottingham Forest man did not quite have the desired impact in the Premier League this season, contributing just two goals in 37 appearances, but he has raised his level significantly at this tournament. Ndoye has landed this selection in all four of his World Cup starts so far, averaging 3.62 shots per 90.