Pep Guardiola does not like predicting the future.
Before a ball had been kicked this season, Manchester City's manager refused to solidify his team and Liverpool as favourites to push for the Premier League title again.
Based on Liverpool's underwhelming start to the campaign, perhaps Guardiola was right to hold off, and the City boss kept to the same tactic on Tuesday when asked if Erling Haaland – who has scored 12 goals in eight games in all competitions this season – could be the difference when it comes to the Citizens finally ending their wait for Champions League glory.
"I'm not able to know it," Guardiola said bluntly ahead of City's meeting with Haaland's former club Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. "The team is playing well, so is he. But right now I don't know."
Where his manager had remained on the fence, Ilkay Gundogan – another former Dortmund star – was a little more forthcoming.
"We hope for it," City's captain told reporters when asked the same question. "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."
Haaland's start to life in the Premier League has been nothing short of outrageous. He has netted 10 goals in six appearances, the joint-fastest player in the history of the competition to reach that tally, alongside Micky Quinn back in 1992.
The 22-year-old wasted little time in transferring his domestic form to the European stage, too, scoring a double in City's 4-0 victory over Sevilla last week, and it is in the Champions League, not the Premier League, where City really need him to make the difference.
Only 36 players in Champions League history have scored more goals in the competition than Haaland, who has 25 from his 20 appearances in UEFA's flagship club tournament.
He is the first City player to score on both his Premier League and Champions League debuts for the club and the fourth player in the competition's history to score in his first appearance for three different teams (Salzburg, Dortmund and City), after Fernando Morientes, Javier Saviola and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Haaland's tally is the most by any player from their first 20 Champions League games, and should he score against Dortmund, he will be the second player to net in the competition both for and against the Bundesliga giants, after Ciro Immobile.
It was this kind of form that attracted City, who missed out on signing Harry Kane in 2021.
With Sergio Aguero's availability becoming more limited as his time at City drew to a close, Guardiola enjoyed success without having to rely on a traditional striker.
Although he enthused about Gabriel Jesus, who has made a blistering start at Arsenal, the Brazil international was often used out wide in the previous two campaigns, with Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling (now at Chelsea) and even Jack Grealish all filling in, at times, as a 'false nine' in Guardiola's fluid attack.
City won the league last season and the one before that. Indeed, four of the last five English titles have gone the way of Guardiola's side, and with or without Haaland, you'd have been brave to bet against them retaining the trophy this season.
Yet they have repeatedly fallen short in Europe. Having lost 1-0 to Chelsea – a team also utilising a false nine system – in the 2020-21 final, City last season had a plethora of chances to put their semi-final tie with Real Madrid to bed, only to lose after a remarkable comeback from Los Blancos in the second leg.
In Haaland, they have a player who should right those wrongs.
With De Bruyne, Silva, Foden and Co. providing the opportunities, Haaland was always bound to score, but his finishing has already exceeded expectations.
His 12 goals have come from shots with a cumulative expected goals (xG) value of 9.4. Essentially, he has scored close to three more goals than he would have been expected to, given the quality of chances he has been presented with.
Not that those opportunities have been particularly difficult ones, of course.
All of Haaland's 12 goals have come from 'big chances' – defined by Opta as an opportunity from which a player would be expected to score.
No other player in Europe's top five leagues has had as many 'big chances' as Haaland, who has had 20 come his way including the Community Shield match against Liverpool in July. Neymar, who is flying high at Paris Saint-Germain, ranks second with 14. More evidence, perhaps, that he is the final piece of the puzzle in this incredibly creative City side. The player to see them over the line when push comes to shove.
City's top scorer in Europe last season was Gabriel Jesus, with four goals from six appearances. Haaland managed three in three, with injury limiting his minutes. Since he made his Champions League debut, for Salzburg in September 2019, only Robert Lewandowski (33) and Karim Benzema (26) have scored more goals in the competition. Both of those players have won the trophy in that time.
Guardiola might rightly refuse to predict the future, but one thing is for certain – with Haaland, City's chances of finally ending their wait for European glory look better than ever.
That is just what they bought him for.
Football rumours: Jadon Sancho urged to end stand-off with Erik ten Hag
Jadon Sancho has been urged by players at Manchester United to end his dispute with manager Erik ten Hag, according to the Daily Mirror. The Times reports that the PFA has offered to help the England winger, 23, settle his differences with ten Hag.
Arsenal are gearing up to grab Ivan Toney, with the Daily Mirror reporting Brentford have valued the 27-year-old at £60 million ahead of a likely move for him in the January transfer window.
Jesse Lingard has ended his one-month training stint at West Ham to move to Saudi Arabia, with the Daily Mirror reporting club manager David Moyes insisting the club is comfortable with Lingard’s decision.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Chelsea secretly parted ways with Bruno, who joined Craven Cottage under former manager Graham Potter’s watch and was a first-team coach under Mauricio Pochettino.
Social media round-upPlayers to watchRomelu Lukaku: Roma are keen to turn the 30-year-old striker’s loan from Chelsea into a permanent move.
Mohamed Salah: Negotiations between Liverpool, Saudi Arabia and the striker’s agent are becoming the subject of a Harvard study.
Darren Moore merrier for Huddersfield’s late goal and battling spirit
New Huddersfield boss Darren Moore was impressed by his side’s spirit after they came from behind to draw 1-1 at Coventry.
Michal Helik’s dramatic added-time qualiser cancelled out Yasin Ayari’s opener and ensured Moore’s managerial return did not end in a Sky Bet Championship defeat.
“It’s been an incredible few days getting into the club and working with the boys,” said Moore, who left Sheffield Wednesday in the summer.
“They have taken a lot of information on over the past couple of days. The fighting spirit was incredible and they got their just rewards and something out of the game at the end.
“I’m really pleased with the boys and their second-half performance. I’ve seen enough there and there’s enough quality in the team to get more out of the players and I’ll look forward to working with the boys over the next couple of weeks.
“Once we grew into the game we had to throw caution to the wind and change things up. I thought the boys did that themselves by the way they controlled large parts of the second half and gave themselves confidence.
“Come the end we had to go all out to try and get something out of the game and I’m pleased we fashioned a really good chance and took it.”
The 49-year-old continued: “I’m pleased for the travelling away support that they’ve gone back up north with something to get hold of – and hopefully (there are) encouraging signs from the team.
“I’m looking forward to my first home game in charge against Ipswich. I’m looking forward to being back in front of the home fans.”
Mark Robins was frustrated after seeing his side – play-off finalists last season – concede late for a third successive game.
It means they have dropped nine points from winning positions, the most in the Championship, this season.
Robins said: “It’s so frustrating but you have to dust yourselves down and get on with it.
“We could have won every game we’ve played in, but we’re sitting here talking about eight points in eight games. It will turn around, but it’s painful getting there.
“It [conceding late] can start to become a thing. It’s about taking control of those situations.
“I think if you let your heart rule your head at times because you know that’s been the case and you know we’re within touching distance of winning the game, the game can kick you in the teeth if you make mistakes.
“They had bodies and a weight of numbers in their favour, but we have to do better. The defending wasn’t good enough.
“You can’t get that momentum if you lose some of your players. It’s not an excuse. We’ve got a small squad with some key individuals out. It’s going to take some time.”
Late goal gives Darren Moore a draw in his first game as Huddersfield boss
Darren Moore’s first game in charge of Huddersfield saw them draw 1-1 at Coventry thanks to Michal Helik’s dramatic added-time goal.
Brighton loanee Yasin Ayari, 19, had seemingly ended the Sky Blues’ five-game winless run in the Sky Bet Championship with a first-half goal he knew little about.
However, Terriers defender Helik equalised five minutes into stoppage time to ensure former Sheffield Wednesday boss Moore avoided defeat in his return to management.
It meant Coventry stopper Ben Wilson’s string of fine second-half saves were in vain as he was eventually beaten, meaning Huddersfield are now unbeaten in four matches.
Former Sheffield Wednesday boss Moore, who got the South Yorkshire club promoted last season before leaving in the summer, made four changes as he took the helm for the first time.
There was a sedate start to the game before Ayari fired a speculative 25-yard strike wide of the mark.
Town caught the hosts on the counter attack and Mark Robins’ charges were indebted to Liam Kelly as he blocked Josh Koroma’s effort.
The deadlock was broken in the 27th minute as summer signing Ellis Simms, still seeking his first Coventry goal, saw his rasping drive tipped onto the bar by Town goalkeeper Lee Nicholls and bounce in off an unsuspecting Ayari.
Moore’s men finished the first half strongly without creating any clear-cut chances to equalise and they also threatened early in the second period without any end product.
Jack Rudoni created space to get a shot off from outside of the box, but his left-footed strike flew high and wide.
Minutes later the former AFC Wimbledon man squandered another chance as his scuffed effort, after being nicely teed up by Jaheim Headley, was easily saved by Wilson.
After a routine first save of the evening, Wilson was forced into a much tougher save to beat away Delano Burgzorg’s powerful strike.
Josh Eccles produced a last-gasp diving block to deny a Koroma strike after a spell of sustained pressure in the hosts’ box.
Wilson produced another fine save to deny substitute Sorba Thomas’ free-kick from the left-hand corner of the box.
Nicholls pulled off a super save from Bobby Thomas’ snapshot to keep the visitors in the game, before substitute Haji Wright poked the rebound over from close range, with just three minutes left.
That huge save was worthwhile as Helik took advantage of a scrappy clearance in the Coventry box and expertly found the top corner with his guided left-footed volley.
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