Burn Confident He Can Handle Haaland Threat
England defender Dan Burn backs himself to contain Erling Haaland when the teams meet in a World Cup 2026 qualifier on July 12, saying he has a physical edge against the prolific striker.
England defender Dan Burn is confident he can handle Norway's in-form striker Erling Braut Haaland as England faces Norway in the World Cup 2026 semi-final qualifier at 4:00 AM Thailand time on July 12. Burn revealed that the team manager addressed the squad after their Mexico match, stating that praise means nothing if they cannot beat Norway. "We need to focus on that now," Burn said. "It will be a different environment. We won't be playing at high altitude anymore, but we'll face the heat. You know Erling only needs one touch in the penalty area to score, so everyone has to give their all." Haaland has only scored one goal when playing for Manchester City against Newcastle United, where Burn plays. "I don't want to jinx it, but yes, one goal," Burn said. "I enjoy dueling with Erling from a physical perspective. I quite like that kind of physical contact and I've done well against him on the pitch. We get along well. You'd have to ask him if he feels the same way." Burn added that if instructed to mark Haaland closely, he would be more than ready and happy to do so, though he acknowledged having four other center-backs at the highest level who are all tournament-ready.
