World Cup: Ajer set for Kane battle in Norway v England quarter-final | OneFootball

There are fascinating match-ups across the pitch ahead of England's World Cup quarter-final against Norway on Saturday (10pm kick-off BST) - but Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer's duel with Three Lions captain Harry Kane could prove decisive.

Kane heads into the contest in devastating form, having already struck six times at this World Cup. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé lead the Golden Boot race with eight goals, while Norway's own Erling Haaland sits one ahead of Kane on seven.

The Bayern Munich striker has now scored an astonishing 85 goals in 119 England appearances and arrives in the quarter-finals on the back of a record-breaking campaign that has yielded 73 goals and counting for club and country.

Only Lionel Messi's remarkable tally of 82 goals in 2011/12 has surpassed that total in a single campaign, and the Argentine icon could await either Kane or Ajer in the semi-finals should la Albiceleste overcome Switzerland.

Stopping Kane is one of the toughest assignments in world football. Yet Ajer heads into the showdown with some impressive numbers of his own.

No Norwegian player has seen more action than Ajer during this World Cup, and the 28-year-old has excelled at the heart of Ståle Solbakken's defence.

The versatile Brentford defender ranks joint-third in the tournament for aerial duels won (16, winning 80 per cent of his headers) and is also among the top 10 for clearances made (32).

Five of those 32 clearances came in Norway's outstanding 2-1 victory over Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil in the round of 16, with Ajer impressing both in and out of possession as the Vikings knocked out the five-time world champions and Brentford team-mate Igor Thiago.

Ajer was rested for a 4-1 defeat to much-fancied France in the group stages, but has played every minute of victories over Iraq, Senegal, the Ivory Coast and Brazil en route to the last eight. With the hulking Haaland leading the line, Solbakken's side have emerged as this World Cup's dark horses.

Only France (16), Argentina (14) and Belgium (13) have scored more than Norway's 12 goals at this World Cup, underlining the task facing England if they are to blunt the Scandinavians' cutting edge.

No team in the competition has consistently created higher-quality chances than the Vikings, who have generated an impressive 0.21 expected goals (xG) per shot. Thomas Tuchel's side will need to disrupt that supply line if they are to keep Haaland quiet.

Kane poses a clear and present danger, but Norway's stiffest test may be trying to wrest control of midfield. Bees midfielder Jordan Henderson is sidelined having picked up an injury after England's victory over Mexico, and Tuchel is likely to deploy his preferred trio of Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson in the middle of the park.

One of the stars of the tournament, Bellingham has delivered buckets of energy, as well as four goals, while the double-pivot behind him brings creativity and tenacity. Rice ranks joint-eighth at this World Cup for key passes, while Anderson is among the tournament's leading midfielders for accurate passes completed.

The stage is set for a fascinating contest and, in Ajer, Brentford will have one of their own in the thick of the action.

How Ajer handles Kane - and England's defence copes with Haaland - may ultimately decide whose post-match celebration echoes around the stadium.

The 'Viking Row' or Wonderwall? We shall see!