Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann has called Erling Haaland "an exceptional player" ahead of his side's meeting with Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals, adding that he believes the striker is more physical than Kylian Mbappe.
Nagelsmann's side eliminated Paris Saint-Germain in the last round of the Champions League, with his men keeping Mbappe at bay across the two-legged tie. The young coach also has experience of facing Haaland following the Norway striker's time with Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund.
The City forward scored just once in his three most recent appearances against Nagelsmann's Bayern. That being said, Haaland did have a good record against Nagelsmann's RB Leipzig, scoring two goals in all three of their meetings.
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Therefore, it is no surprise that Nagelsmann speaks so highly of the Norway international. “Haaland is an exceptional player,” he said of the striker. “He has an extreme quality in terms of speed and physicality. He’s even more physical than Mbappe. But we also have very good attacking players; City also have many other good players.”
The Bayern coach also emphasised how difficult it would be for Bayern to progress against City. “It’s a good, challenging draw," he added. “If we win the title at the end, nobody can say we were lucky. We already had a tough group stage, then PSG and now City. The potential semi-final (against either Chelsea or Real Madrid) would also be top-class."
“Real Madrid had a similar path last year. The draw gives me a lot of energy and a lot of anticipation. We will prepare well and we are looking forward to it.”
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