Norway and England meet at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Saturday 11 July with a World Cup semi-final berth the only prize on offer. A quarter-final at this tournament is not a stage for sentiment, and both nations arrive knowing that defeat ends everything.
England have reached the last eight carrying expectations that follow them everywhere at major tournaments, justified or not by history. Norway, in the same position, represent one of the more striking stories of this World Cup: a nation that has never previously reached a World Cup semi-final, with a generation of players determined to change that. Getting past England to do it would make the occasion still more significant.
The fact that these two sides have never met in competitive football adds a particular edge to proceedings. There is no psychological baggage to carry, no historical result to avenge or to defend. Whatever happens in Miami will be the first chapter, not a continuation of something older.
Both squads report no fresh absences ahead of kick-off, which means neither manager faces the selection headaches that have disrupted other sides at this stage. Full-strength options on both sides should make for a match settled by quality and tactics rather than circumstance.
Norway will look to impose themselves through a side built around physical presence and direct intent. England, for their part, tend to control territory through midfield when operating at their best, and will be wary of the spaces left behind when pushing forward in a knockout game. At this stage, the margins are fine and the cost of an error is total.
The prediction data suggests a competitive encounter. England are favoured to progress, carrying a 45 per cent probability of winning in normal time, with Norway and a draw each at 45 per cent. The accompanying advice points toward England progressing alongside a reasonably open game, but the numbers carry no great certainty in either direction. On a humid Florida evening, with both squads at full strength and a place in the final four waiting, this looks very much like it will go to the wire.