Antonio Rudiger says only two defenders can stop Erling Haaland

Antonio Rudiger feels that Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Arsenal’s William Saliba are the only two centre-backs capable of stopping Erling Haaland.

The Manchester City striker has 10 Premier League goals this season and an astounding 101 goals in 107 appearances since going to England.

Rudiger has met Haaland four times for Real Madrid and believes he has struggled physically against the 24-year-old.

However, the former Chelsea centre-back has been impressed by how Van Dijk and Saliba have handled Haaland.

‘I believe I’m more of an old-school defender who enjoys the struggle with strikers, especially strikers like him [Haaland], because that guy is an absolute beast,’ Rudiger remarked on The Inside Scoop.

“I have no idea what he eats or does, but he has incredible power.”

‘When I look at his goals, I don’t think you can beat him with a cross high at the second post. You can’t beat him. If he wants, you can be under him every day.

‘He’s a beast; it’s crazy. Yes, he did not score against us [Real Madrid], but he hit the crossbar, so luck was on our side.

‘How do I prepare for this sort of player? It’s difficult to prepare since you just need to be ready for the physical battle.

‘You simply have to be prepared for him and avoid giving him too much room in your back because he is hazardous. If you run with him, it might be difficult since he extends his arm.

There are few people who can physically match him. The ones I’ve seen in the last few years include Virgil [Van Dijk], who is the same size as him; that’s a fantastic matchup, and I have to mention Saliba also performed admirably.

When asked to choose his best opponent, Rudiger answered, ‘The striker that gave me the most difficulties was Kun Aguero.

That man was really difficult to play against.

“I could say Messi or Ronaldo, but they are from a different planet, so we’ll go with humans.”