Antonio Rüdiger said dealing with “super striker” Erling Haaland in Real Madrid’s Champions League quarterfinal with Manchester City is “personal” for him as a defender, as Madrid look for revenge for City eliminating them from last season’s competition.
Rüdiger dealt well with Haaland in last year’s semifinal first leg — which finished 1-1 at the Bernabéu, with Haaland failing to score — but didn’t start the return leg in Manchester, which ended in a comfortable 4-0 win for City.
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“It was a good game last year at the Bernabéu,” Rüdiger said in a pre-match news conference ahead of Tuesday’s match. “We all did a great job keeping Haaland quiet that evening. And my teammates did a good job keeping [Kevin] De Bruyne quiet.
“This time, the plan will be to control dangerous players like Phil Foden, De Bruyne, and Haaland… It’s personal for me as a defensive player, against a super striker like Haaland.”
Madrid and City meet this month for the fifth time in the Champions League in the last decade. The LaLiga giants came out on top in the 2016 semifinals, City progressed in the 2020 round of 16 and Madrid eliminated City after extra time in the 2022 semifinals, before last season’s meeting.
“We won’t only sit back and watch City have possession,” Rüdiger said. “But that’s part of the game. There will be phases where we have to defend more, and we’re willing to do that.”
Rüdiger praised the impact in the Madrid dressing room of Jude Bellingham, who has scored four Champions League goals in six games this campaign.
“At the beginning I was a bit surprised, I didn’t know much about him,” Rüdiger said. “But wow, he’s a big personality already in our locker room. The way he handles himself is very good. He’s 20, but he’s old for his age.
“I’m sure he’ll be a leader for [England]. He’s just professional, he’s a good lad, we just have to hope and pray he’ll stay healthy.”
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted his team had lacked “courage and personality” in last season’s second leg against City.
“This tie [will be decided by] the players with most quality,” Ancelotti said. “The players on the pitch decide games. You need a clear strategy that convinces the players. There are a lot of things in these games: individual quality, defending, counterattacks. It isn’t one thing, it’s all those aspects.”
Ancelotti said he wouldn’t spring any surprises with his team selection, after picking midfielder Eduardo Camavinga at left-back against City last year.
“[This season] we have different characteristics with the ball,” Ancelotti said. “Last year we had Karim Benzema, and this season we don’t have a reference point at centre-forward. We’ve dealt with that with more mobility up front, and we’ve done well. That could be a key to the game.”