Antonio Rudiger has expressed that his upcoming Champions League battle with Erling Haaland is personal and is anticipating their rematch. In the previous encounter between their clubs at the semi-final stage, Rudiger effectively neutralized Haaland’s threat in a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu. However, he was absent in the return leg, which City won 4-0. Despite this, he managed to limit Haaland to only 21 touches with no clear chances during the Bernabeu game, employing tactics to prevent City’s prolific scorer from finding the back of the net.

Rudiger is eager for their latest encounter and believes he can once again keep Haaland quiet. Reflecting on their previous game, Rudiger stated, “It was a good game at home last year. We all did a great job by keeping Haaland quiet that evening. We controlled the ball well and he didn’t get much of the ball.

Now, for this game, the plan will be the same as last year, to try to control dangerous players like Haaland.” He emphasized that his approach in such battles is intuitive and not pre-planned, acknowledging the challenge of facing a talent like Haaland, who heavily relies on passes from his teammates. While expressing his confidence in facing strong opponents like Haaland, Rudiger acknowledged the difficulty in controlling a player of Haaland’s caliber, emphasizing the need to also focus on restricting the opportunities for his teammates to supply him.