Erling Haaland Reveals the Toughest Opponent He Has Faced Ahead of Champions League Final

• Erling Haaland has been a menace to defenders in his first season in England's top-flight league
• The Manchester City striker slotted in comfortably in the EPL as he broke a number of goalscoring records
• He has now admitted that it hasn't been easy while some players ahead of the Champions League final

Erling Haaland has named the toughest opponent he has faced in his maiden season in England as he hopes to lead Manchester City to the treble by winning the Champions League.

It has been a season of epic proportions for the striker, who hit the ground running straight away after arriving from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

He scored 36 times, breaking the most number of goals by a single player in a single season, as Manchester City pipped Arsenal to the Premier League title. He then added the FA Cup final and will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of titles in his first season by beating Inter Milan on June 10.

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So lethal has he been in front of goal that defenders have been forced to come up with innovative ways to stop him. Not many have succeeded, as his tall and gigantic frame, speed, awareness in the box and precision have put him a level higher than his opponents.

Haaland on Virgil Van Dijk

He has, however, admitted that he had met his match when playing against some of the defenders in the Premier League. The Norwegian had glowing praise for Liverpool's Virgil Van Dijk.

Speaking to Rio Ferdinand's Between The Lines, the 22-year-old reflected on his he struggled against the Dutch skipper at Anfield.

"We struggled at Anfield, I remember. Van Dijk, I always said it. I think he’s so good. Madrid away was also really difficult; I had two men against me all the time. But Van Dijk, I like him a lot. I played a lot against him. He’s smart, fast, and in the air, he’s just unreal as well."

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The two faced each other twice this season, with Van Dijk shutting out Haaland on both occasions. The Madrid away encounter he referenced was his famous tussle with Antonio Rudiger, who kept him in check during the entire game.

Acerbi not fearful of Haaland

Sports Brief has also reported that Francesco Acerbi will face a key battle against Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, one of the contests that will heavily influence the outcome of the match.

Both men have a height difference of two centimetres and are left-footed. Many defenders have come up against the City striker and fallen short, but the Italian is motivated differently - taking a cue from his previous battle with cancer.

The defender lost all elements of fear during his battle with testicular cancer about 10 years ago, while at Sassuolo.