The two players know each other well and have mutual respect: Norwegian striker Erling Haaland and Brazilian winger Vinícius Júnior will face off on Sunday in East Rutherford, with a ticket to the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at stake.

The fearsome striker for Manchester City has scored five goals in the tournament so far, two more than Argentine Lionel Messi and one more than Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, who have played an additional match.

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Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti warned that 'Norway is very strong on set pieces.' He knows that stopping Haaland and his teammates, many of whom tower over the Brazilians, will be one of the biggest challenges for the five-time world champions. Haaland is 1.95m tall, one centimeter shorter than his fellow striker Alexander Sørloth. There are even taller players, such as defender Kristoffer Ajer who stands at 1.98m, a clear difference compared to the Brazilian center-back duo Marquinhos (1.83m) and Gabriel Magalhães (1.90m). To compensate for this lack of height, Ancelotti dedicated part of Friday's training to defensive work 'because they have a very strong weapon, especially on set pieces,' according to Brazilian striker Matheus Cunha. The 27-year-old Manchester United striker does not miss the chance to remind that he has previously gotten the better of Haaland, whether in the Manchester derby or when both players were active in Germany. But he also has experience facing other key Norwegian players, such as playmaker Martin Ødegaard, the Arsenal captain. Cunha said, 'We shouldn't focus only on him (Haaland), but on many of the Norwegian team's players.'

- Brazil leans left - The Brazilian team also has the 25-year-old Vinícius Júnior, the same age as Haaland, as a lethal attacking weapon. The Real Madrid winger has scored four goals in four matches and was the savior of the Seleção when he equalized against Morocco in the World Cup opener for the five-time champions. He is a key element in the tactical plan set by Ancelotti, who earlier had to focus play on the left flank due to Raphinha's dip in form on the right, before later restoring balance. Norwegian coach Ståle Solbakken said Friday, 'Vini is a problem for every team when he is at his best, and we will try to find a solution to this problem.' He added, 'All teams need to set up a system capable of stopping him, but it's not easy, and we have seen that so far in the tournament. We will try to give our best.' He noted that he was part of the Norwegian team that beat Brazil (2-1) in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup, a victory that allowed Norway to reach the round of 16, their best achievement to date. Haaland and Vini know each other well after facing each other several times in the Champions League. In 2023, Real Madrid and Manchester City drew 1-1 in the first leg of the semi-finals in Madrid, where Vinícius opened the scoring while Haaland was contained by Real's defense. In the return leg, City won 4-0 and later lifted the trophy. The two teams met again in the quarter-finals the following year. After two thrilling matches in which neither Vinícius nor Haaland scored (3-3 and 1-1), Real Madrid, led by Ancelotti, advanced on penalties on their way to winning the title.