Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch has admitted that his side will need some luck to stop Erling Haaland when Manchester City travel to Elland Road this week.
Very few teams have managed to nullify Haaland's threat so far this campaign, with the Norwegian dominating the Premier League following his summer move from Borussia Dortmund. The 22-year-old has scored 24 goals for City since arriving at the Etihad, his latest coming against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup last Thursday.
Marsch is all too aware of the threat Haaland poses for his Leeds side having helped develop him at RB Salzburg. Before the clash at Elland Road, the American was inevitably asked about the Blues' striker and how he plans to stop him.
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"Yeah, it [Marsch knowing Haaland ] will help us I think a little bit," the 49-year-old said. "It will motivate him on the day a little bit, but it will motivate me as well.
"The time I had with Erling was just outstanding and we had an incredible relationship. In general, I have some ideas of things we will try to do, but it will come down to luck on the day in certain moments and finding ways to contain him and hoping that we can still find ways to punish him as well."
While Marsch is looking forward to reuniting with Haaland, the forward has his own reasons for relishing the meeting. The 22-year-old was born in Leeds while his dad played for them and has kept the club 'close to his heart', according to Marsch.
When pressed on the threat Haaland poses, Marsch added: "Obviously I know how good he is and I know how good he can be when he is at his best. It will certainly be important for us to manage him on the day.
"I have been asked many times, how do you do that? And the answer is I think you have to have a keen awareness of where he is at all times and where he likes to be.
"Certainly his ability to run hard into the box, his ability to run hard in transition, his ability to do whatever it takes around the goal to get on the end of plays. So he is often not the one that is starting the plays, but he is always thinking about where he can be so he can be finishing it and his instincts in that manner are incredibly unique."
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