Matthijs de Ligt is looking forward to clash with Erling Haaland: ‘We have to deliver a top performance as a team’ | Foreign football

De Ligt and Haaland have never faced each other. Nevertheless, the Dutch defender knows what to expect from the striker. ,,I don’t have to watch a lot of images, because I already know how he plays. Erling Haaland is one of the best strikers in the world. It’s our job to stop him. We will have to organize our defense well”, said the former Ajax player at the preparatory press conference.

De Ligt does not think that this task is reserved for him alone. ,,If he doesn’t get balls, it becomes difficult even for such a good player. We will have to deliver a top performance as a whole team and we will have to be focused throughout the game.” Still, according to De Ligt, City is not just about Haaland. “They have a very good team, so we have to be at our best.”

In recent weeks, De Ligt has been one of the supporting forces at Bayern Munich, which is leading the Bundesliga. Haaland is also in top form. The Norwegian striker has scored 44 times in all competitions this season. He only needed 38 games for that. The game starts tomorrow at 9 p.m.

Tuchel also joined the press conference. The German was lyrical about his Spanish colleague Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City. “It is clear how Manchester City plays. You can clearly see that Pep has been at the helm of the club for years. They play very offensively and they are in top form. Man City deliver the best level in all of Europe.”

,,We are really looking forward to the match, we also know that it will be very difficult”, continued Tuchel. However, Bayern Munich is not afraid. ,,We are not fans, we are not here to admire the opponent. We will prepare ourselves optimally and try to take the initiative in certain phases of the match. We have the qualities for that.”