Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has paid tribute to Man City striker Erling Haaland after Norway’s 11-1 win over Moldova in a World Cup qualifier.
Haaland scored 4 goals for his country on Tuesday evening, and speaking after the game, Odegaard was full of compliments for his compatriot:
“It’s a dream to play with him. I know he times the runs perfectly. Then it’s just a matter of hitting him, and then he mostly goes on to finish when he gets it.”
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Haaland has now scored 48 goals in 45 caps for Norway, which is a ridiculous record for a player who is still only 25 years of age.
Man City fans will hope he is on the scoresheet again this weekend
Haaland is clearly in superb form heading into Sunday’s Manchester derby at the Etihad, and his confidence should be sky high.
When you also factor in that City will be facing a Man United side who conceded two goals at home to newly-promoted Burnley last time out, Haaland should be licking his lips.
Haaland may have to carry the goalscoring burden
Omar Marmoush has been ruled out for the game due to a knee injury sustained on international duty. The initial prognosis is that the Egyptian sustained bruising to his ligaments.
However, the 26-year-old was pictured on crutches when travelling back to the UK, and it remains to be seen how long his recovery will take.
Marmoush’s absence will mean that Haaland’s goals will be all the more important. He has an excellent record against the Red Devils, having scored 6 goals and provided 3 assists in 8 appearances. He did, however, fail to score against them last season, having fired a blank in the 2-1 defeat at home, before missing the away fixture due to an ankle injury.
Read more about the Man City First Team Squad for 2025/26 here