Norway striker Erling Haaland insists all the pressure rests on England heading into their World Cup quarter-final match this Saturday. With a smile, he encouraged the media to heap as much pressure on Thomas Tuchel’s squad as possible.

Norway makes its first World Cup appearance since 1998, reaching the final eight after finishing second in Group I and defeating Ivory Coast and Brazil in the knockout stages.

England has reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the last three men’s World Cups, though the team has not reached a final since their 1966 victory.

When asked if England carries all the pressure, Manchester City forward Haaland replied: “Yes, definitely. I think there’s some clear favourites out there, England’s one of them.”

Speaking to reporters, he added: “I think all of you should put every single pressure on the English lads. Yeah, they [England fans] should be confident of progressing, definitely. It’s England.”

Haaland, 25, has scored in 14 consecutive competitive matches for Norway. He aims to continue that streak against his country of birth when the two teams meet in Miami on Saturday at 22:00 BST. Haaland was born in Leeds during his father Alf-Inge’s transfer from Leeds United to Manchester City.

When Haaland appeared on the cover of Time magazine last year, he estimated Norway’s chances of winning the World Cup at just 0.5%.

However, his seven goals in four tournament appearances—including two against Brazil in the round of 16—have propelled Norway into the quarter-finals.

“I didn’t expect it. To be honest, to be in the quarter-finals with Norway in the World Cup is quite surprising even for me,” he said.

“Playing against Brazil was kind of crazy for us Norwegians and to win against Brazil and then go and play England in the quarter-finals in the World Cup in the USA is quite special.

“It’s difficult to take everything in because you need to kind of just play the game like it’s a training session.

“I think if you watch the scenes back in Norway, this is not normal for Norway to be, so it’s super special.”

Haaland’s popularity in the US has risen throughout the tournament, driven by his personality, off-field activities, and goal-scoring form.

Hours after scoring the winning goal against Ivory Coast in the last 32, Haaland went shopping for cowboy hats and boots in Dallas. He documented the trip for his YouTube channel, where the video reached over six million views in five days.

“It’s a good thing because I like the Americans, I think they are kind of hilarious as well. They are funny, so I like the way they are,” he said.

“I think it’s just good. Honestly on every single thing with the World Cup so far here it has been amazing. From the games to the stadiums, everything has been amazing.

“The training ground where we train has been amazing, so I’m super happy and it’s been impressive.”

Other footage shows him attending the Stanley Cup final in North Carolina and leading teammates in a Viking row after their victory over Brazil.

“I like to joke a little bit and I like to have fun,” he said. “I think that’s a key to for my daily life to joke around and of course train good, of course focus well and prepare well but you also need to joke around and you need to enjoy the moment.

“That’s what we’ve been doing now and just as we play in the World Cup, we have to enjoy it because nothing lasts forever. We have to just enjoy while we’re here.”