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Thomas Tuchel urges his England stars to 'be BRAVE' ahead of World Cup quarter-final against Norway – and reveals why his side must forget about Mexico heroics

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Thomas Tuchel will tell England to show courage and attack Norway to make sure they leave their World Cup quarter-final with ‘no regrets’.

The Three Lions boss was on the front foot ahead of tonight’s showdown here in Miami, where temperatures will reach 32ºC at kick-off.

‘This is the exciting part now,’ said Tuchel. ‘But we need to let go, we need to connect to our identity, connect to what makes us strong, be on the front foot and be brave. It’s the quarter-finals and the brave will have the luck on their side.

‘We cannot have any regrets when we play a quarter-final, we have to go for it, this is the most important thing.’

Erling Haaland said the pressure is on England but Tuchel does not buy the idea that Norway believe they are underdogs, especially after beating Brazil. ‘They have over-performed but I think internally they know very well how good they are,’ he said.

‘They know very well how many problems they can cause to any team. They proved it. They eliminated a big nation on a big stage and from then on, there is no such thing as favourites.

England head coach Thomas Tuchel has issued a rallying cry ahead of their clash with Norway

He has called for his England stars to 'be brave' when they play their World Cup quarter-final

He has called for his England stars to ‘be brave’ when they play their World Cup quarter-final

‘Everyone plays to win the competition and has the right to dream. But I don’t feel our players playing with fear. I don’t feel the weight of the shirt.’

Tuchel, who is worrying over the fitness of several key players, allowed his stars 48 hours’ rest and recovery following the exertions of the 3-2 win at altitude in Mexico in the early hours of Monday.

But when they returned to their Kansas City training base on Wednesday, his message was clear – Mexico was gone.

‘The Azteca and a match like that really was the full package of an experience,’ said Tuchel. ‘We just had to find a way. That was how we framed it with the team.

‘If you need a picture from the Premier League, it is January, it’s away in Sunderland or Leeds. It’s adversity. It’s not good weather. You don’t like the decisions of the referee. Everything feels bad.

‘We found a way. But we cannot get carried away, we have to stop looking back now. That is what we agree with the team – we draw a line in the sand. It is no more Mexico. It is only about Norway.

‘Football and the World Cup is there to make a country and our fans dream, to believe and excite them. This is what it’s for and we want to take the next step.’

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