Ilkay Gundogan does not believe Erling Haaland is nervous about facing former club Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Haaland will line up against the team he left for Manchester City in June when Dortmund visit the Etihad Stadium for the Group G encounter.
The Norway international has scored 25 Champions League goals in 20 appearances, the most by any player in their first 20 games in the competition.
Fifteen of those came in 13 matches in the competition for Dortmund, and Haaland could become just the second player to score a Champions League goal both for and against the German side, after Ciro Immobile.
The smart money is on him doing so, given his remarkable start to life at City.
Haaland has 10 goals in just six Premier League games, that tally comprising two hat-tricks, and netted a brace in City's Champions League win at Sevilla last week.
Gundogan spent five years at Dortmund from 2011 to 2016 before joining City, helping the club win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double under Jurgen Klopp in 2011-12.
But Gundogan expects the occasion to be more special for Haaland than for himself, though he senses no trepidation in the 22-year-old.
"No, I saw him very happy," Gundogan told a media conference when asked if Haaland was nervous.
"He was sitting next to me and was very happy, he was asking me [how I felt]. We're both very excited to play our former team.
"For me it's more in the past, but for him it's going to be a lot more special because he'll know 95 per cent of the squad.
"I know a few players and really looking forward to the game here and in Dortmund, it's a special occasion for both of us."
Sergio Gomez and Manuel Akanji also formerly plied their trade at Dortmund, the latter joining in the most recent transfer window, and Gundogan does not believe it is possible for the quartet playing their former club to take the emotion out of the game.
"'I'm sure it’s impossible to take it out because we will have memories attached to Dortmund, I believe all four of us have mainly positive memories, so quite difficult to take emotions out completely," he added.
"You deal with them in the best possible way, about using them in your favour, not to be over excited, keep calm and cool, which can be the most difficult thing in football."
City lost the Champions League final to Chelsea in 2021 and then fell victim to a comeback from Real Madrid in last year's semi-final.
"The most important thing is the margin of making mistakes, the little details that decide, especially in quarter-finals, semi-finals and final obviously, the margin is so tight that no mistakes are really allowed," Gundogan said of learning from those experiences.
"The last few years the way we got knocked out was maybe a bit tragic in the way it happened, but I don't think we should regret anything, it's always an experience for us.
"It was incredible to play in the final, even if we lost it, it was an incredible experience. As a competitor you learn from it, try to get there again and do better. The target for the season is the same, reach the maximum and see what can happen."
Asked if Haaland can be the difference in this competition this season, Gundogan replied: "We hope for it. Obviously having a proper number nine, proper striker, physically strong, determined is going to help us a lot, but we will see.
"Winning the Champions League is something incredible to achieve, a very tough competition, it's never easy and little details can decide the outcome. We'll try as hard as we can to go as far as possible."
Guardiola has 'no words' for hat-trick hero Haaland
Pep Guardiola was lost for words to describe Erling Haaland after his eighth Premier League hat-trick fired Manchester City to a 3-1 victory over West Ham.
Having scored a treble to help City claim a 4-1 win over Ipswich Town on matchday two, Haaland did likewise on Saturday to keep them perfect as they edged out the Hammers at the London Stadium.
Haaland's seven goals this season are the most any player has ever netted in the first three matches of a Premier League campaign, while only Sergio Aguero (12), Alan Shearer (11) and Robbie Fowler (nine) have ever helped themselves to more match balls in the competition.
Across English football's top four tiers, he is also the first player to score two hat-tricks in a team's first three games of a league season since Bradford City's Paul Jewell in 1994-95.
The Norwegian has now scored more than once in 26% of his Premier League matches (18/69, eight hat-tricks, 10 braces), leaving Guardiola in disbelief.
"There are no words for him," Guardiola told BBC Sport.
"All we can do is make him play better and better and give him as many balls as possible into the box. It's what we have to do. We are there and we added quality.
"This is a team. When you have to run backward, no one asks who has to do it. Everyone has to. When we see Erling doing that, it is fantastic."
Haaland himself, meanwhile, believes having an extended pre-season due to Norway missing out on Euro 2024 has helped him start the season in peak condition.
"I feel good. I feel energised. I had a long vacation and a long pre-season. I'm feeling good," Haaland told City's website.
"The years here have gone quick and it's been going like, 'bam bam bam', now I have a little bit of rest in my body and my feet. I feel really good now and I'm ready for more.
"I feel more refreshed and more energised. So when you do that you can practice on things you want to become better at in training. I feel good. I want to become better. I'm happy."
City sit top of the early-season table with nine points from nine available and saw last season's runners-up Arsenal slip up on Saturday, drawing 1-1 with Brighton and Hove Albion.
Haaland, though, feels it is too early to think about the title race, adding: "They [City's rivals] haven't slipped up yet. Three games, nine points. This is a great start.
"But let's not think too far ahead, because there’s potentially 70 games left this season. Let's breathe a bit and take it game by game."
Lopetegui rues missed opportunity as West Ham lose to Man City
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui was not encouraged by the performance of his team despite losing 3-1 at home to Manchester City in their third league game.
“It is true that City is one of the best teams around the world for sure… but it is also true too that in the second half we have been very close to a draw,” he said speaking to BBC Match of the Day.
“I think we have played one very good second half. The start has been very good for us too.”
West Ham threatened for extended periods of the match and had chances to level the match at 2-1 down, with the best coming from Mohammed Kudus as he smashed a shot against the bar in the second half.
They also started the game brightly before going a goal down inside 10 minutes.
“In my mind we started very well, being aggressive,” said Lopetegui.
“We know in this plan normally they have initiative, it’s very difficult to not concede initiative then. That’s why you have to do a lot of very good things to overcome them.
“In the second half we had chances, I think we kept the ball much more, much more, and didn't concede a lot of chances."
But the hosts were ultimately undone by the brilliant finishing of Erling Haaland, who scored his second hat-trick in as many matches.
“He is one of the best players in the world, that's why he plays for Manchester City,” he said.
“You have to compete with these kind of players. City has the power and the quality to create chances.”
But ultimately, he was left frustrated at the sense of a missed opportunity and that his team were unable to earn themselves a draw that hadn’t seemed implausible during the match.
“Today I think the first goal was a pity for us but I’ve said it. I was happy with the performance think we were able to draw but again they damage us,” he said.
“Against this kind of team, if you make a mistake they don’t forgive. This is the difference they have… A little mistake they punish you, they punish us.
“We have to improve, to know to compete against this kind of team to be close to perfection.
“Don't make mistakes, be calm, defend well… we have quality players too.”
West Ham 1-3 Manchester City: Another Haaland hat-trick keeps champions perfect
Erling Haaland scored yet another hat-trick as Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 3-1 win at West Ham.
Off the back of scoring a treble against Ipswich on matchday two, Haaland took his tally to seven goals for 2024-25 at the London Stadium.
The Norwegian produced a composed one-on-one finish for the opener before arrowing a powerful strike home for his second on the half-hour mark, after a Ruben Dias own goal had briefly dragged West Ham level.
Mohammed Kudus went close to a second West Ham equaliser after the interval, but Haaland wrapped up the points with another breakaway finish with seven minutes to play.
The victory keeps City top of the early-season standings with nine points from nine available, while West Ham are 14th with three points from three games under Julen Lopetegui.
Data Debrief: Haaland's best start yet
Haaland has earned a reputation as a fast starter since arriving in the Premier League two years ago, but never before has he kicked off a campaign in such ruthless fashion.
The City star had three goals at this stage of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. In 2024-25, he has seven goals from his first three matches.
Throughout the top four tiers of English football, he is also the first player to score a hat-trick in two of a team's first three league games in a season since Paul Jewell for Bradford City in 1994-95.
Haaland now has eight Premier League hat-tricks for City, and only three players have helped themselves to the match ball on more occasions in the competition's history – Sergio Aguero (12), Alan Shearer (11) and Robbie Fowler (nine).
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