Matthijs de Ligt is confident about the first leg with Man City in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The Bayern Munich defender emphasised one aspect the day before facing Erling Haaland: focus.
De Ligt is looking forward to Haaland test: “I can’t wait”
Little has changed in De Ligt’s status at Bayern since the trainer change. The Orange-international was an important force under Julian Nagelsmann and is also under his successor Thomas Tuchel. On Saturday, the 23-year-old Dutchman scored the winning goal in the away match against Freiburg (0-1). The victory in Freiburg gave confidence for the first game with City, just like the victory against competitor Borussia Dortmund a week earlier.
“We feel good and the mood is good. We are very motivated for tomorrow’s game. I can’t wait,” De Ligt started his story during the press conference on Monday evening. Questions about Erling Haaland soon followed from the press room. How does De Ligt think he will stop the former star player of Borussia Dortmund?
“He is one of the best strikers in the world and he is in good shape”
Strong coordination at Bayern is key to keeping Haaland in check, De Ligt believes. “Obviously it will be a tough game. He is one of the best strikers in the world and he is in good shape. It is important that we are organised in defence. Haaland is a very strong player, but without the passes of teammates it will also be difficult for him. We have to deliver a top performance as a team,” said the former Juventus player.
More questions about Haaland followed. What does it require to block De Ligt’s Norwegian? The defender responded coolly: “Everyone knows what Haaland is capable of, but at the end of the day you just have to concentrate on your duties. We’re going to see how we can stop him as a team. We have to be focused, very focused, focused on their whole team.”
The return in Munich follows eight days after the first leg in Manchester. De Ligt was last in the quarterfinals of the Champions League in the 2018/19 season. Then he eliminated his later club Juventus with Ajax.
