"He looks like Thor" - RB Leipzig manager Marco Rose compares Manchester City's Erling Haaland to Marvel superhero ahead of UCL fixture
RB Leipzig manager Marco Rose has compared Manchester City striker Erling Haaland to Marvel superhero Thor ahead of the two sides' UEFA Champions League clash. Pep Guardiola's side head to the Red Bull Arena to face Leipzig in the first leg of their last 16 tie on Wednesday (February 22).
Haaland has been in scintillating form since arriving at the Etihad from Borussia Dortmund last summer for Β£54 million. The Norweigan has scythed through defences, scoring a remarkable 32 goals in 31 games across competitions. The City forward has already eclipsed last season's Premier League Golden Boot winners Mohamed Salah and Son Heung Min with 26 league goals.
Ahead of Manchester City's trip to Leipzig, Rose compared Haaland's imposing physique to the famous Marvel superhero Thor, saying (via GOAL):
"His body was different β now you see him, and he looks like Thor. But after a couple of months at Salzburg, you could see his quality. I remember after scoring in one game for us, he left us to go to the Under-20 World Cup, and he scored nine goals, so it was a good start for him, and now heβs a world-class player playing for one of the best teams in the world."
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Haaland has previously played against Leipzig for Dortmund, scoring six goals in four games. He also played under Rose at Signal Iduna Park, bagging 30 goals in 35 games under Rose.
So Rose knows all about the Norweigan striker's abilities. He will hope his Leipzig side can keep Haaland quiet in what has been a blistering debut campaign with City.
Manchester City manager Guardiola wary of 'tough' Leipzig test
Manchester City have enjoyed an impressive 2022-23 UEFA Champions League campaign. They finished atop Group G unbeaten and scored 14 goals.
However, manager Pep Guardiola acknowledges the difficulty Leipzig pose. He told reporters following the disappointing 1-1 Premier League draw with Nottingham Forest at the weekend (via the Daily Mail):
"We will study Leipzig, a very tough opponent. We suffered there two years ago, and we know how good they are. Their physicality is amazing, with the runners, and now it is to recover the players as much as possible."
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It was a bumpy start to our @ChampionsLeague journey, but we've since put together a hot streak of form π₯
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Leipzig are fifth in the Bundesliga, winning 11 of 21 games. They finished second in Group F of the Champions League, beating group winners Real Madrid 3-2 at the Red Bull Arena.