Carlo Ancelotti has highlighted one Manchester City player he thinks could be a problem for Real Madrid this evening.
After the 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu last week, the two sides are facing off again tonight at the Etihad Stadium to see who will secure a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Ahead of this big showdown, the Real manager has pinpointed one specific figure in Pep Guardiola’s side who he feels stands out as being one of City’s best individual players.
Ancelotti says ‘dangerous’ Man City player could be a problem against Real Madrid
Speaking in his press conference ahead of tonight’s game, Ancelotti said this about Erling Haaland and what he offers City on the pitch.
He said: “When it comes to individuals, Haaland is still one of the most dangerous players City have. The fact that he didn’t appear much in the first game is a credit to our defence.
“He can be the best centre-forward in the world and he’s always dangerous.”
This season has seen the striker score 31 goals in 38 games in all competitions, with six of those goals coming across the eight Champions League matches he’s featured in.
Real Madrid could have their hands full with Erling Haaland
In the Champions League this season, Haaland has racked up the joint-second-highest rate of shots on target per 90 minutes (2.49) alongside Barcelona winger Raphinha and below his fellow City striker Julian Alvarez (3.21).
This highlights just how dangerous the Norwegian is and has been on the European stage in this campaign and why Ancelotti has mentioned it ahead of tonight’s big game.
As the Italian mentioned, the City striker didn’t get on the scoresheet in last week’s draw against Real, which suggests to us that he will be desperate to do so this time around and get his side into the semi-finals alongside Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.
Looking ahead to tonight’s showdown at the Etihad, if the 23-year-old can not only score but help his teammates get into goalscoring situations with his movements in and around the box, he could be a key factor in potentially getting the Citizens into the next stage of the tournament and a step closer to regaining the Champions League.