Antonio Rüdiger, the Real Madrid defender, emphasized the personal aspect of facing “super striker” Erling Haaland in their upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City.
Los Blancos are eager for vengeance against City, who eliminated them from last season’s tournament.
Rüdiger demonstrated effective handling of Haaland during last year’s semi-final first leg, which concluded with a 1-1 draw at the Bernabéu.
However, he found himself benched for the return leg at the Etihad Stadium, where City secured a dominant 4-0 victory.
“It was a good game last year at the Bernabéu,” Rüdiger said in a pre-match news conference ahead of Tuesday’s match.
“We all did a great job keeping Haaland quiet that evening. And my teammates did a good job keeping [Kevin] De Bruyne quiet.
“This time, the plan will be to control dangerous players like Phil Foden, De Bruyne, and Haaland… It’s personal for me as a defensive player, against a super striker like Haaland.”
