Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP)

Twenty years, a huge talent, and nothing to lose!

Erling Haaland tumbles into the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday with Dortmund, at the ogre Manchester City of Guardiola, in an evening which will also oppose two European lords: Real de Zidane and Liverpool of Klopp.

In the midst of these giants, Borussia, which is going through a difficult season, is a Lilliputian.

But the German team has a secret weapon: the Norwegian Haaland, at the top of the C1 scorers classification with ten goals ... in only six matches, since he missed two group matches.

For Pep Guardiola, the "anti-Haaland" device is simple.

"It's mathematical: the scorers have more chances to score in the box, the less minutes he spends in the box, the less chance they have to score," he said Monday at a press conference before -match.

"We must not leave any spaces," added Spain midfielder Rodri, "we must not change our style of play, the key is to control the game our way."

The challenge for the Citizens: stop the current series of the young blond colossus (1.93 m) who remains on four consecutive doubles in the Champions League!

- A prestigious poster -

As to whether ManCity hopes to recruit him for next season, coach Guardiola has played political correctness: "I don't know, that's a question for his agent, for Dortmund," he replied, "this It would be inappropriate for me to talk about a player from another club. But even a blind person would realize that he is a fantastic player, you don't have to be a manager.

Another club potentially interested in welcoming the phenomenon as quickly as possible, Real Madrid rubs against a huge piece, Liverpool, in a prestigious poster, remake of the 2018 final won by the men of Zinedine Zidane (3-1).

"My motivation comes from the fact that it is the quarter-finals of the Champions League, it has nothing to do with the 2018 final (...) I have already said that what happened I didn't like that night. But it's not revenge, it's just life, "Klopp assured Monday at a press conference.

"We do not think of the past", also evacuated the French coach: "The past is past, what matters is what we live today, the match of tomorrow (Tuesday). is a different game, we have to take it like that and we prepare it as such ".

- Klopp raised the bar -

The last two winners of the competition before Bayern weigh 19 C1 titles between them: thirteen for the "White House" and six for the Reds.

They are obviously contenders for victory this year again, even though neither is having their best season.

Liverpool, above all, experienced an incredible air gap at the start of 2021, with nine defeats in fifteen matches in all competitions.

For three weeks, Jürgen Klopp has raised the bar and scored three consecutive victories.

But the German technician will however have to curb Benzema and his accomplices in the Madrid attack without his central defenders Van Dijk and Gomez, injured for a long time.

Zidane, he will probably have to do without his mid-game jewel Eden Hazard, who was injured again in mid-March, in the groin this time.

The Belgian international is going this season from injury to injury, and has hardly played since the end of January.

Asked about his possible entry into play against Liverpool, Zidane delayed: "The important thing is that Eden feels good, that he is serene about his return, totally recovered," he said.

Wednesday will then emerge another gala poster, revenge of the last final: Bayern without Robert Lewandowski, injured in the knee, will receive Paris SG from Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, while Porto at home will try to destabilize Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea.

© 2021 AFP