Carlo Ancelotti has ruled out a bespoke plan to stop Erling Haaland when Brazil face Norway in the World Cup last-16. Brazil reached this stage by coming from behind to beat Japan with a stoppage-time goal from Gabriel Martinelli, and the next step is the tie at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Ancelotti's approach to Haaland

"I don't think that there is such a thing as an 'anti-Haaland' plan," Ancelotti said. "I don't need to tell my players how to defend, they have faced each other a few times."

That is a fairly clear line from a coach who is not interested in turning the match into a one-man project. Haaland has scored 5 goals in 3 World Cup appearances, which is the obvious reason people keep asking the question in the first place. His 8.13 rating across the tournament is another sign of how much damage he has done already.

Brazil's confidence is not built on denying that threat, though. Ancelotti is leaning on the idea that his defenders already know the job, and the focus should stay on Norway's structure and the rest of their attack rather than a single name.

Gabriel's 7.41 tournament rating gives Brazil a reason to trust their back line, and he has already logged 4 World Cup appearances and 372 minutes. The match-up is real enough, but the evidence points to Brazil backing their organisation rather than inventing a special case for Haaland.

Team news and the Norway challenge

Stale Solbakken took a similar view from the other side. "Brazil has one of the best pairs of defenders in this tournament, two players who are at a top-notch international level," he said. "There will be some tough duels between them and Erling, but it is more Brazil versus Norway for me."

Brazil will be without Lucas Paqueta, who suffered a hamstring problem against Japan, while Raphinha could be back in contention after a thigh injury. That leaves Ancelotti with one fewer midfielder and at least one possible attacking boost before a game whose winner will play either England or co-hosts Mexico in the quarter-finals.

The main point is still the same. Brazil are not setting the whole tie up around stopping Haaland, and the coach's public message suggests they think the better route is to handle Norway as a team.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →