Dortmund must stop ´outstanding´ Haaland, asserts Gross

Pascal Gross insists Borussia Dortmund should cease the “excellent” Erling Haaland when the Bundesliga facet face Manchester Metropolis on Wednesday.

Dortmund head to the Etihad Stadium aiming to increase their unbeaten begin to this season’s Champions League, during which they’ve registered seven factors from their opening three matches.

Nonetheless, they face a tricky check within the type of the 2023 champions, who’re unbeaten of their final 22 house group/league video games within the competitors.

Niko Kovac’s facet are additionally developing in opposition to a well-known face in Haaland. The Metropolis quantity 9 spent two-and-a-half years at Dortmund, scoring 86 targets in 89 appearances in all competitions, earlier than his big-money transfer to Manchester.

Haaland is now trying to develop into the primary participant to attain in 5 straight Champions League appearances for 3 completely different golf equipment, having additionally achieved the feat with Dortmund and RB Salzburg.

And Gross is understandably cautious of the striker’s risk.

Good to satisfy you once more, Erling – as we speak and tomorrow!#MCIBVB #UCL pic.twitter.com/Qj3Up11Yph

— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) November 4, 2025

“Haaland is an impressive participant who places up unimaginable numbers,” the midfielder stated. “Now we have to cease him as a collective. Now we have to play our sport collectively as a group.

“Metropolis may be extra beatable than in years passed by, however they nonetheless have absolute world-class gamers of their ranks, and are in a improvement section.”

Kovac, in the meantime, believes his facet should attempt to go on the entrance foot to face any likelihood of reaching a optimistic end result in opposition to Metropolis.

“Now we have to defend excessive up the pitch,” he stated. “If we simply sit again deep, then the opposing group has the standard to work us over.

“We need to hold the sport away from our personal purpose and keep true to that. We take that danger.”