Dortmund must stop ´outstanding´ Haaland, asserts Gross

Pascal Gross insists Borussia Dortmund must stop the “outstanding” Erling Haaland when the Bundesliga side face Manchester City on Wednesday.

Dortmund head to the Etihad Stadium aiming to extend their unbeaten start to this season’s Champions League, in which they have registered seven points from their opening three matches.

However, they face a tough test in the form of the 2023 champions, who are unbeaten in their last 22 home group/league games in the competition.

Niko Kovac’s side are also coming up against a familiar face in Haaland. The City number nine spent two-and-a-half years at Dortmund, scoring 86 goals in 89 appearances in all competitions, before his big-money move to Manchester.

Haaland is now looking to become the first player to score in five straight Champions League appearances for three different clubs, having also achieved the feat with Dortmund and RB Salzburg.

And Gross is understandably wary of the striker’s threat.

Nice to meet you again, Erling – today and tomorrow!#MCIBVB #UCL pic.twitter.com/Qj3Up11Yph

— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) November 4, 2025

“Haaland is an outstanding player who puts up incredible numbers,” the midfielder said. “We have to stop him as a collective. We have to play our game together as a team.

“City might be more beatable than in years gone by, but they still have absolute world-class players in their ranks, and are in a development phase.”

Kovac, meanwhile, believes his side must try to go on the front foot to stand any chance of achieving a positive result against City.

“We have to defend high up the pitch,” he said. “If we just sit back deep, then the opposing team has the quality to work us over.

“We want to keep the game away from our own goal and stay true to that. We take that risk.”