Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger said it’s “a pleasure” to face Erling Haaland ahead of the team’s Champions League round-of-16 clash at Manchester City on Tuesday, after keeping the star forward quiet in last week’s first leg at the Bernabéu.
Haaland had just 10 touches — and no shots — in the game in Madrid, and was substituted in the 82nd minute as City were well beaten 3-0 thanks to a hat trick from Federico Valverde.
The Premier League star has sometimes struggled against Madrid, failing to score when the teams met in 2023 and 2024, although he did find the net twice in City’s 3-2 loss to Madrid in February 2025, and converted a penalty when City won 2-1 in the league phase this season.
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“I don’t think too deeply about things like statistics,” Rüdiger said in a news conference in Manchester on Monday (via ESPN). “In the game in the group stage, [Haaland] got the better of me… With players like Erling Haaland, it’s a huge pleasure to play against them. I like the physical battle.”
“I’ve faced him a lot, and he’s a top player,” Rüdiger added. “I like these kinds of duels…I find it fantastic to play against him. And he seems like a good guy.”
