Erling Haaland is just one goal away from history.
The striker kicked off Manchester City’s Premier League title defense with a goal against Chelsea and has not stopped scoring since. After finding the back of the net nine times in his last four matches, Haaland seems poised to translate his goalscoring form to the Champions League.
Manchester City faces Inter Milan, its toughest opponent of the new league phase, in its opening European fixture. The two sides previously met in the 2023 Champions League final, which ended with the Citizens raising their first ever UCL trophy.
Ahead of the rematch, Haaland sits on the cusp of a monumental goalscoring record. Since joining the club in 2022, the 24-year-old has scored 99 goals in 103 appearances for Manchester City.
If Haaland bags at least one more goal in his 104th appearance, the striker will become the fastest player to record 100 goals for a club. Cristiano Ronaldo currently holds the record; the Portugal captain buried 100 goals for Real Madrid in 105 appearances.
Haaland will have his work cut out for him against Inter’s backline. The center-back pairing of Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni held the Manchester City man to just one shot in 90 minutes in the 2023 Champions League final.
When both players have been on the pitch for Simone Inzaghi’s team this season, they have helped Yann Sommer keep two clean sheets in three matches. Traveling to the Etihad to face the reigning English champions promises a much tougher feat, though, than Inter’s Serie A fixtures.
Even if Haaland does not find the back of the net in Wednesday’s clash, the striker can still tie Ronaldo’s record with a goal against Arsenal at the weekend.