Erling Haaland has named Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as his toughest opponent during his first season in the Premier League.
The Manchester City striker broke the league's record for the most goals scored in a single campaign with his 36 strikes. However, he failed to score in his one league appearance against the Reds.
Haaland could not stop City from going down 1-0 at Anfield in October as Liverpool defender Van Dijk got the better of him. The Norwegian also failed to score in the season curtain-raiser at the King Power Stadium as the Reds ran out 3-1 winners in the Community Shield.
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Haaland missed a sitter that day. But since then he has gone to score 52 goals in just 51 games and on Saturday night will look to help City win their first Champions League when they take on Inter Milan in the the final in Istanbul. Victory for Pep Guardiola's side would seal an historic treble after winning the Premier League and FA Cup.
Ahead of the final, Haaland was asked by Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport who his toughest opponent has been this season. He said: “The most difficult, we struggled at Anfield I remember.
“Van Dijk, I always said it, I think he’s so good. But the good thing also about it is I’m meeting Ruben Dias, (Manuel) Akanji, (Nathan) Ake in training every single day. Training is not easy.
“But Van Dijk, I like him a lot. He’s smart, fast, and in the air, he’s just unreal as well.”
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