Erling Haaland was handed an instant reunion with former club Borussia Dortmund as Manchester City drew them in the Champions League.
Haaland joined City from Dortmund for £51million in the summer and has made an immediate impact for Pep Guardiola's side, plundering three goals in as many Premier League games. The Norway striker has a phenomenal record in the Champions League having scored 23 goals in 19 appearances, with the 22-year-old looking to open his City account in the tournament.
In 2021, Haaland became the youngest and fastest player to reach 20 Champions League goals, taking just 14 games to do so in European football's elite club competition. In three seasons at Dortmund, Haaland scored 86 goals in 89 games, and his former club will be only too aware of the threat he poses to them when they come up against him.
The group-stage draw was a favourable one for City, who are still chasing a first Champions League crown after defeat in the 2021 final and two semi-final exits, including last season's at the hands of eventual winners Real Madrid. As well as Dortmund, City will face Sevilla, six-time Europa League winners who will prove a stern test, as well as Danish champions FC Copenhagen.
City came agonisingly close to making last season's final an all-English affair with Liverpool, leading Real by two goals on aggregate going into the 90th minute of the second leg of their semi-final at the Santiago Bernabeu. But Guardiola's men conceded twice in quick succession, allowing Real to force extra-time, with the Spanish giants scoring again to take the tie 6-5 on aggregate, before beating Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool 1-0 in the final in Paris.
City chief executive Ferran Soriano said: “You can never be completely happy or unhappy with a draw. But we’ve got good teams to play. It will be good to go back to Sevilla - we were there in 2015 - then we were in Copenhagen in 2009. We’ve been in Dortmund recently and it will be a special game for Haaland and Ilkay Gundogan.
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“You can count on this fate. Both will enjoy it. It's a fantastic stadium. Last time we played there it was empty because of Covid, so it will be a great experience for fans in Dortmund and Manchester. We're very excited.”
Former City defender Joleon Lescott said Haaland will put any feelings of sentiment to one side when he faces his former club and focus all of his attention on overcoming them. He said: “There are sentimental elements to that, of course. But looking at him, and having met him briefly, I'm sure he's determined to go there and score goals and win the game.
“In terms of the competition, and what that's going to bring around that tie, they obviously worked well together, Haaland and Dortmund. So there will be a lot of sentimental elements in the build-up to the game, but both teams and players are professional and will just want an outcome for their respective teams.”
