Norway have reached a World Cup quarter-final for the first time in their history.
On Saturday, they face England for a place in the semis, and running through the middle of this tie is one of the most interesting Arsenal subplots of the tournament.
Martin Odegaard versus Declan Rice. The Arsenal captain versus the man some believe should be Arsenal captain.
The ringleader of that opinion is Gunners legend Tony Adams. A former Arsenal captain himself, he has repeatedly argued that Rice should be handed the armband, suggesting Odegaard is not the right profile to lead this particular group.
Tell us your thoughts on Martin Odegaard being Arsenal captain
John Terry has echoed similar sentiments, and the debate ran quietly all season.
Not that it really mattered. Odegaard lifted the Premier League trophy as captain, becoming the first to do so in the Emirates era and the first since Patrick Vieira led the Invincibles.
But that doesn’t mean it has been forgotten about.
Martin Odegaard will be extra motivated for Norway vs England
Erling Haaland has had most of the credit for Norway’s run to the quarter-finals, and rightfully so, but their captain has played a huge part too.
Odegaard was instrumental in the win over Brazil that knocked out Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes, constantly dropping deep to get touches on the ball, dictating tempo from deep, and leading the press when Norway were out of possession.
Carlo Ancelotti said as much after the game, explaining how much Norway relied on the Arsenal skipper, who completed 101 passes in total.
Before that, he provided an assist in three consecutive World Cup games, becoming only the third player in history to do so.
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Rice, meanwhile, in what has been a worrying theme for Arsenal players, has been managing discomfort throughout the tournament and has not quite been at his sharpest level.
England beat Mexico to reach the last eight, but Rice will need to be at his best on Saturday.
Not only will he need to nullify Odegaard’s influence, but he will also need to provide protection for the centre-backs against Erling Haaland, who will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing England’s leaky defence.
From an Arsenal point of view, the tactical battle between the two will be fascinating.
Adams, along with many others, thinks Rice would make a superior captain. Odegaard gets to make his case on Saturday.
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