Ajer: Norway taking Brentford mentality into England quarter-final | OneFootball

Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer says Norway are “as ready as we possibly can be”, as they prepare to face England in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday (10pm kick-off BST).

The Bees man has featured in all but one match at the tournament in North America, helping Norway reach the last eight after a remarkable run which has included a 2-1 win over Brazil in the round of 16.

Ajer, who is now in Miami with his international team-mates ahead of the clash with the Three Lions, reflected on his World Cup journey so far, playing alongside Erling Haaland, and the challenge of facing Harry Kane this weekend.

“The World Cup so far has been more than I could ever dream of," Ajer said.

“The whole country has been super excited for it, and I’ve been preparing for it for several months; the way we’ve been playing in every single game has been fantastic.

“It’s been incredible to watch the country back home really, really buzzing for us and celebrating. The results have been superb. We’ve played some really strong sides and been able to beat them, so it’s been great.

“The Brazil win... it’s not possible to describe the feeling I had and the team had after it. They’re a fantastic country with so many top players, so being able to control the game in many aspects was surreal.”

Norway’s hopes of another famous World Cup win will once again be spearheaded by Erling Haaland, who has been central to their run to the quarter-finals, scoring seven goals in four appearances so far.

“Playing alongside Haaland is obviously fantastic,” Ajer continued. “He’s the best player in the world, so having him in attack, you always have a chance. Hopefully he can score a few goals tomorrow as well!

“Everyone’s really buzzing for the game, but it’s a very similar mentality to Brentford: we’re humble but confident.

“We know that we’re playing one of the big favourites to win the whole tournament and we need to top perform once again to have a chance to advance.”

A major part of that challenge will be keeping another of the world’s top strikers quiet, with Ajer well aware of the threat posed by England captain Kane.

“Kane is one of the best strikers in the world,” the Norwegian centre-back stated. “The season he has had at Bayern Munich and the tournament he is having show that you have to be well prepared.

“We’ve analysed England, and we’re as ready as we possibly can be.

“Again, similarly to Brentford, we take one game at a time. When you play these big nations, you know that if you look too far ahead, you lose the next game.

“We are fully, fully ready and only thinking about England on Saturday.”