Rice and Guehi return to training as England face storm threat before Norway quarter-final

Declan Rice, Marc Guehi and Reece James all returned to full England training on Friday in Miami, boosting Thomas Tuchel’s options ahead of the World Cup quarter-final against Norway. Rice and Guehi had missed Wednesday’s session, while James has been absent for England’s last three matches through injury — making all three potential starters again for the last-eight tie.

The match itself faces an uncertain start, with AccuWeather senior meteorologist Chad Merrill warning of likely thunderstorms around kick-off time. “It’s that time frame from midday through the early part of the afternoon where there will likely be some thunderstorms and lightning nearby for the match,” Merrill told The Sun, raising concerns over whether the game will begin on schedule.

Tuchel addressed the media ahead of the fixture, calling on his side to show courage. “We need to be brave now,” the England head coach said. “It’s quarter-finals, and the brave will have the luck on their side.” He also revealed that England have received no explanation from FIFA over the two-match ban handed to Jarell Quansah following his red card against Mexico. A FIFA communications representative, responding in the press conference itself, directed Tuchel to email [email protected] for a response.

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken, meanwhile, sought to shift the psychological burden onto England. “I think England has more pressure than us,” he said. “When the game starts, I don’t think the players think about pressure. I think it’s something which is only spoken about before the game.”

Elsewhere in Miami, England supporters made their presence felt at the Cleveland Guardians versus Miami Marlins MLB game on Friday, with the home team’s official drummer breaking protocol to shout “Let’s go England.” Norway fans responded in kind, performing their signature “row” celebration alongside Miami Marlins mascot Billy the Marlin.

The other quarter-final picture is already taking shape after Spain beat Belgium to advance to a semi-final against France. Thibaut Courtois was substituted in tears during that match with the score level at 1-1, and his replacement Senne Lammens spilled a long-range effort to gift substitute Mikel Merino the decisive goal. The winner of England versus Norway will face either Argentina or Switzerland in the semi-finals.