Ancelotti's Brazil Prepares for Norway Without Anti-Haaland Plan
Carlo Ancelotti has stared down enough superstars in his career to know a trap when he sees one. On Sunday at MetLife Stadium, the narrative will scream one name: Erling Haaland. Ancelotti wants no part of that simplification.
Brazil’s coach is not drawing up any bespoke “anti-Haaland plan” for their World Cup last-16 clash with Norway. No double-page dossier. No special bodyguard. No obsession.
“I don’t think that there is such a thing as an ‘anti-Haaland’ plan,” he said, cutting off the familiar line of questioning. “I don’t need to tell my players how to defend, they have faced each other a few times.”
Brazil arrive in East Rutherford with the swagger of a team that has already been tested. They topped Group C, then had to dig deep to survive Japan, coming from behind and only squeezing through thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time winner. It was the kind of escape that can either rattle a giant or harden it.
Ancelotti is betting on the latter.
“Our team is in an optimal condition,” he said. “However, we need to continue improving.”
Brazil look beyond Haaland’s shadow
The world will fix its gaze on Haaland, the Manchester City forward who bends entire game plans around his presence. Ancelotti, though, is adamant that the real danger lies in the structure around him.
“Everyone knows how he works. I have nothing to explain to my defenders how to play against him,” he said. “They have obviously played against him several times, so we are only focused on being well prepared for the match, understanding the basic characteristics of the opponent and we know that they are very dangerous offensively.
“Norway is a challenging team, a team that has structure, has very good organisation, so we have to play at our best level.”
That best level will be required without Lucas Paqueta. The midfielder, so often Brazil’s link between control and creativity, suffered a hamstring problem against Japan and will miss the tie. His absence strips some guile from the centre of the pitch, a loss that could be felt in both directions.
There is, however, a flicker of good news. Raphinha, the Barcelona forward, could return after a thigh injury. His direct running and willingness to stretch the pitch would offer Brazil a different kind of outlet, especially if the game tightens into a tactical arm-wrestle.
Ancelotti insists his side are ready for that kind of night.
“I think we are at a time when we can play at our best level, because we are confident and have come out of a challenging last match against Japan,” he said.
Norway refuse to be cast as a one-man show
On the opposite bench, Stale Solbakken is fighting his own battle with the narrative. For him, this is not Haaland versus Brazil’s centre-backs. It is Norway versus Brazil. Full stop.
“Brazil has one of the best pairs of defenders in this tournament, two players who are at a top-notch international level,” Solbakken said, nodding to the formidable axis of Gabriel and Marquinhos. “There will be some tough duels between them and Erling, but it is more Brazil versus Norway for me.”
He is right to highlight the broader contest. Norway’s rise has not been built solely on Haaland’s goals. The team’s structure, discipline and collective work have carried them to this stage, and they will need every ounce of that to live with Brazil’s attacking waves.
“Brazil are favourites, of course they are,” Solbakken admitted. “But we are hopeful that we will give them a match – and we must be at our very, very best, otherwise we don’t have a chance.”
Norway’s preparations have brought their own fitness concerns. Dortmund full-back Julian Ryerson, forced off with a thigh issue in their second Group I game against Senegal, is expected to be available. His energy and defensive aggression on the flank are vital in a game where transitions could decide everything.
Defender Holmgren Pedersen is being monitored after what Solbakken described as “coughing and rasping”. It is a small detail, but at this stage of a World Cup, small details can snowball into big problems.
Quarter-final carrot, heavyweight pressure
The stakes are clear. Win, and a quarter-final against either England or co-hosts Mexico awaits. Lose, and a World Cup dream dissolves under the New Jersey lights.
For Brazil, the weight of history always travels with them. A sixth World Cup crown is not a romantic ambition; it is an expectation. Edges fray under that kind of pressure. The late escape against Japan was a warning that even the biggest names can be dragged into chaos if they switch off.
For Norway, this is a chance to rewrite their own story. To step out from behind the silhouette of their most famous striker and stand as a complete, hardened tournament side.
Haaland will still dominate the build-up. Cameras will still linger on Gabriel and Marquinhos as they tighten their boots and fix their gaze on the tunnel. But the men in charge have drawn the lines clearly.
This is not a duel. It is a test of systems, of nerve, of who can bend the night to their will when the whistle blows at MetLife Stadium.
