Haaland Looks To Extend Scoring Streak Against Borussia Dortmund In Champions League Match

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Erling Haaland's recent performance for Manchester City was noteworthy, featuring a double against Bournemouth in a 3-1 victory. This marked his fourth consecutive Premier League brace at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola even compared Haaland to football legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. As Borussia Dortmund prepares to face City in the Champions League, they hope to avoid being haunted by their former striker.

Haaland's time at Dortmund was impressive, with 86 goals and 19 assists in 89 appearances over two and a half seasons. He led them to victory in the 2021 DFB Pokal, their most recent trophy. However, Dortmund struggled to contain Harry Kane in their league match against Bayern Munich and will face a similar challenge against Haaland on Wednesday.

This season, Haaland has scored 13 goals in 10 Premier League matches, while Kane has netted 12 times in nine Bundesliga games. In the Champions League, Kane leads with five goals, tied with Kylian Mbappe, while Haaland is just behind with four. The upcoming clash between City and Dortmund promises excitement as both teams aim for victory.

The Opta supercomputer predicts a Manchester City win on Wednesday, giving them a 63.6% chance of success. Dortmund has a 17.8% probability of securing all three points, while a draw is estimated at 18.6%. Historically, City has faced Dortmund six times in the Champions League, winning three and losing only once.

Haaland aims to make history by becoming the first player to score in five consecutive Champions League appearances for three different teams. He achieved this feat previously with RB Salzburg and Dortmund. When City last hosted Dortmund in September 2022, Haaland scored an acrobatic winner after John Stones equalised Jude Bellingham's opener.

Dortmund's current form is strong under Niko Kovac's leadership, having lost only one of their 14 games this season—a narrow defeat to Bayern Munich. They sit third in the Bundesliga and sixth in the Champions League standings. Their attacking prowess is evident as they have scored four goals in each of their last three Champions League matches.

Key Players to Watch

Manchester City's Rayan Cherki has shown promise after recovering from a thigh injury. In his last two starts, he provided three assists, including two for Haaland against Bournemouth. His clever playmaking abilities are crucial for City's attack.

Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy ended his goal drought with a decisive strike against Augsburg recently. The Guinea international has scored five goals in eight Bundesliga matches this season and contributed one goal and two assists in the Champions League.

A Special Night for Silva

The upcoming match holds significance for Man City captain Bernardo Silva as well. If he plays, Silva will become the fourth Portuguese player to reach 100 Champions League appearances after Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, and Luis Figo—all winners on their centennial games.

Pep Guardiola remains unbeaten against Dortmund in his last ten encounters across all competitions (W6 D4). His most recent loss came during Jurgen Klopp's tenure at Dortmund back in the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup final of 2014.

Manchester City's home record is formidable; they are unbeaten in their last 22 group/league phase matches at home since losing to Lyon in September 2018 (W19 D3). Only Inter managed to keep them from scoring during this period when they drew goallessly last September.