Is there any stopping Erling Haaland?

The Norwegian has hit 47 goals already for Manchester City this season, including one against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final first leg last week.

City ran out 3-0 winners to take a healthy lead to the Allianz Arena, where Bayern must show the right kind of fight this time as they look to claw that deficit back, while also somehow halting Haaland.

Inter's domestic form has dropped off a cliff, having not won in five and lost four of those, including a shock 1-0 home defeat to Monza on Saturday.

However, they hold a 2-0 advantage over Benfica, who also travel to San Siro with perhaps more hope than belief they can turn it around and reach the semi-finals.

With the assistance of Opta numbers, Stats Perform takes a look at Wednesday's two Champions League contests.

Bayern Munich v Manchester City: Can Bayern pack the punch to come back against City?

The Bavarians came to blows over their loss at the Etihad Stadium last week, but will be hoping to use that fire more positively in the second leg on home soil.

Bayern have lost their last two meetings with City in the Champions League – the first time they have lost consecutive games against them, and as many defeats as they had suffered in their first five clashes in the competition (W3 L2).

Thomas Tuchel's men are also looking to become just the fifth team to progress from a two-legged Champions League knockout tie after losing by three or more goals in the first leg, after Deportivo de La Coruna in 2003-04 (5-4 v Milan), Barcelona in 2016-17 (6-5 v PSG), Roma in 2017-18 (4-4 v Barcelona, won on away goals) and Liverpool in 2018-19 (4-3 v Barcelona).

Since losing three consecutive games against Tuchel's Chelsea in 2020-21 – the last of which being the 2021 Champions League final – City boss Pep Guardiola has won each of his last three games against the German, without seeing his side concede a single goal. 

Guardiola is just one win away from 100 Champions League match victories, which will make him the third manager/head coach to reach a century of wins in the competition, along with Carlo Ancelotti and Alex Ferguson. He would also be the quickest to reach that figure, with it being his 158th game, with Ancelotti taking 180 games and Ferguson 184.

Haaland has scored 11 Champions League goals for City this season, his best return in a single campaign, and just one behind the season record for a Premier League player in the competition (Ruud van Nistelrooy, 12 in 2002-03 for Manchester United).

He may have ended the first leg with a cut lip for his troubles, but since the start of last season, former City man Leroy Sane has more combined goals (10) and assists (7) in the Champions League goals than any other Bayern player (17). Despite his side failing to score at the Etihad Stadium, Sane was directly involved in eight of Bayern's 12 shots in the first leg (five shots and three chances created).

Inter v Benfica: Eagles must make history to get past Nerazzurri

Inter cannot buy a win in Serie A, and may even have to win the competition to qualify for it next season, but their performance in the first leg showed they can still perform. 

The Nerazzurri remain unbeaten in all four of their previous meetings with Benfica (W3 D1), keeping a clean sheet in three of those matches, though the Lisbon side have already won away to Italian opposition in the Champions League this season, beating Juventus 2-1 in the group stage.

Benfica lost the first leg of a two-legged European Cup/Champions League tie by two or more goals for the ninth time, and only once previously have they progressed from such a position, and not since 1961-62 when they beat Nurnberg, losing the first leg 3-1 before winning the second 6-0.

In addition to that, it was also the ninth time Inter have won the first leg of a two-legged European Cup/Champions League tie by two or more goals, and they have never been eliminated from such a position.

Roger Schmidt's side are unbeaten in seven away matches in the Champions League (W4 D3), their longest ever unbeaten run away from home in the competition. They have won their last two away matches, and could win three in a row for the first time since March 1990.

Striker Goncalo Ramos will need to have a big game, having been directly involved in four goals in his last four Champions League appearances for Benfica (three goals, one assist). On top of his attacking contribution, the Portugal international is also important for his team's pressing out of possession, having applied more pressures (674) and pressures in the final third (299) than any other striker in the competition this season.

Romelu Lukaku has scored nine goals in 14 appearances for Inter in the Champions League, with only four players now scoring more goals for the club in the competition – Adriano (14), Julio Cruz (13), Hernan Crespo (11) and Samuel Eto'o (10).

Pep Guardiola hailed Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne's "special connection" after their eighth Premier League goal combination of the season.

The pair were key once again as City beat lowly Leicester City 3-1 on Saturday.

Haaland scored twice to take his goal tally in the league to 32, matching Mohamed Salah's record for a 38-game season. 

His second goal came when he latched onto a precise De Bruyne throughball, marking the eighth time the Belgium international has teed up a Haaland strike in the top flight this term.

That is one off the joint record of nine, shared by Tottenham duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min and ex-Liverpool forwards Stan Collymore and Robbie Fowler.

"I think the connection between Erling and Kevin is obvious," Guardiola said. "I think Kevin needs the runners to do his biggest quality.

"Erling needs an assist player to make his positive runs. It's a natural way. We talk a lot about 'take a look at him when he runs and put the ball there'.

"When the ball is correct, and he has this space, he is unstoppable. We know it. But they have a special connection and you can see this.

"But what I like about that second goal is Kevin won the duel. I love that. He won the duel and after that, the run and finish from Erling was fantastic."

De Bruyne's eight assists to Haaland is three more than any other Premier League player has managed to a team-mate this term, with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes having set up Marcus Rashford on five occasions.

Victory over Leicester, combined with Arsenal's 2-2 draw against West Ham, means City are just four points off the Gunners with a game in hand.

The title rivals will meet on April 26, in what looks set to be the decisive clash.

Kevin De Bruyne became the second player to reach 100 Premier League assists for one club as the Manchester City playmaker teed up Erling Haaland for the hosts' third goal in a 3-1 win over Leicester City.

The result cut Arsenal's lead to three points at the top of the table, ahead of the Gunners' trip to West Ham on Sunday.

Saturday's games saw Ollie Watkins remain in eye-catching form for Aston Villa, but there were grim home defeats for London giants Chelsea and Tottenham as Brighton and Hove Albion and Bournemouth celebrated impressive victories.

Here Stats Perform, guided by notable Opta match facts, unpicks the finer detail from the day's Premier League action.

Manchester City 3-1 Leicester City: Haaland and De Bruyne star as City keep pressure on

Armed with a 3-0 lead after 25 minutes, Manchester City took their foot off the pedal and Leicester gained a foothold, but the Foxes rarely get much from this fixture. It is 11 wins in their last 13 league games against Leicester now for Pep Guardiola's team, and five wins from as many meetings.

City are on a 10-match winning streak across all competitions, which they have bettered only twice during the Guardiola era, having a run of 21 wins from December 2020 to March 2021, and an 11-game run from August to October in 2017.

Haaland scored twice to take his goals tally to 32 in the top flight, ever closer to the Premier League record of 34 in a single campaign, while De Bruyne's pass that set up the Norway striker's second meant he completed 100 assists for City. Ryan Giggs, with 162 for Manchester United, is the only other player to reach a century of assists for one club in the Premier League.

De Bruyne has now assisted 10 goals for Haaland across all competitions this season, and that is the most assists any one player has had for the young goal machine with a top-flight club, beating Jadon Sancho's nine when he and Haaland were team-mates at Borussia Dortmund in the 2020-21 campaign.

Leicester remain deep in relegation trouble, with the 2015-16 Premier League champions having taken just eight points from 16 games in the competition (W2 D2 L12), losing eight of their past nine.

Aston Villa 3-0 Newcastle United: Watkins and Villa hit half-century marks as Emery revival gathers pace

Aston Villa were hovering precariously closely to the relegation zone when Steven Gerrard was sacked in October. A sensational recovery continued as they steamrollered third-placed Newcastle on Saturday, with their winning run in the Premier League now at five games.

They last reached five wins in a row in the competition on this corresponding weekend 25 years ago, when John Gregory was boss, and Saturday's result means Newcastle's Eddie Howe has lost his last four league clashes with Villa manager Unai Emery, who was previously in charge of Arsenal, by an 11-2 aggregate.

Villa have reached 50 points from 31 games, the earliest they have achieved that tally since they got there in 29 matches in 2009-10, and Watkins has been a key figure in the team's resurgence.

The England striker added to Jacob Ramsey's opener, which came from Watkins' headed assist, by netting a second-half double to take the game away from the Magpies.

Watkins' 50th, 51st and 52nd goal involvements for Villa (39 goals and 13 assists) came in his 102nd Premier League game for the team, with only Christian Benteke (88 games) having reached 50 in fewer games in the competition for the club. Watkins has 12 goals and three assists on Premier League duty since the World Cup, with only Haaland (16) having more goal involvements during this time.

Chelsea 1-2 Brighton and Hove Albion: Seagulls swoop for Stamford Bridge scalp

Brighton substitutes Danny Welbeck and Julio Enciso did the damage, and Chelsea could have no complaints. In terms of expected goals (xG), Brighton bossed this, ending with 2.28 compared to the hosts' 0.60.

After failing to win against Chelsea in 14 Premier League matches, Brighton have done the double this season, having won 4-1 at home in October.

Chelsea's winless run at home in the league now stands at four matches (D2 L2), and that is their worst streak since taking just one point from their final five games at Stamford Bridge in the 2015-16 season.

Only Manchester United (10) have had more goals from substitutes than Brighton (8) in the Premier League this season, and those two sides meet next weekend in the semi-final stage of the FA Cup.

Tottenham 2-3 Bournemouth: Echoes of Balotelli as Outtara stuns Spurs

Tottenham have Aston Villa and Brighton in hot pursuit after this shock reverse, with Dango Ouattara getting Bournemouth's winner four minutes and 11 seconds into stoppage time.

It was the latest winning goal Bournemouth have ever scored in the Premier League, as well as being the second-latest winning goal scored against Spurs by any team on record since 2006-07, after Mario Balotelli's strike for Manchester City in January 2012, which came after four minutes and 39 seconds of added time.

This was Bournemouth's first away league win against Tottenham, after losing on all five previous attempts, and it marked the first time Spurs have lost at home when taking the lead since a 3-2 setback against Southampton in February of last year.

Bournemouth have won five of their last nine Premier League games and have remarkably leapt six points clear of the bottom three, having won just five of their previous 25 matches. Dominic Solanke scored the Cherries' second and provided assists for their two other goals, scoring and assisting in the same Premier League game for the third time this season, with no player having done so on more occasions.

Pep Guardiola acknowledged his substitutions made for a nervous finish after seeing his Manchester City side ease up in a 3-1 win over Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium.

City closed the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to three points as Erling Haaland struck twice in the first 25 minutes, after John Stones' fine volley had given the hosts an early lead.

With City cruising against their out-of-form opponents, Guardiola withdrew both goalscorers at the break, with Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Jack Grealish following after the interval.

Leicester then threatened an unlikely fightback after Kelechi Iheanacho tapped in for 3-1, with the Nigerian hitting the post late on and James Maddison missing a fine chance.

Asked if Leicester's late onslaught had caused any nerves, Guardiola told Sky Sports: "Of course we were worried. 

"It was 3-1 from our mistake and they had the chances with Maddison and Kelechi, so the game was tricky in the last 15 minutes. The first 60 or 65 minutes was good.

"I'd like us to push ourselves better and avoid what happened after 3-0, so we do not suffer, but it happened because of the substitutions. From my experience, when you do that, this happens."  

City have won nine successive games as they chase silverware on three fronts, and Guardiola says alterations were necessary in order to preserve his stars' fitness.

"We started really well, with incredible focus, but at the end when you make a lot of substitutions at the same time, you always drop a little bit," he said.

"If the guys from the second half started, it would be the same approach that we had in the beginning. It's just a fact that playing every three days, we have to make a lot of rotations.

"I made just two [changes] in the beginning. When the game was under control, I made the rest."

City turn their attentions to the Champions League on Wednesday, looking to defend a 3-0 first-leg lead when they visit Bayern Munich in an attempt to reach the semi-finals.

Asked by BBC Sport if Bayern had a chance of overturning City's advantage, Guardiola said: "Absolutely, we know that. We have to try our game and think we will win the game. 

"We have to defend otherwise they have the rhythm. It's a real tough opponent. We go there to achieve something unique, to reach a semi-final.

"We have to play with the right mentality, be stable in the bad moments and go for it."

Erling Haaland matched Mohamed Salah's scoring record in a 38-game Premier League season as Manchester City swatted aside lowly Leicester City 3-1.

Free-scoring City had the game won by the 25th minute at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, with Haaland scoring twice after John Stones' stunning opener.

Subbed off at half-time, Haaland has now netted 32 league goals this season, matching Salah's haul from the 2017-18 campaign. 

Sloppy defending allowed Kelechi Iheanacho to grab a consolation for Leicester in Dean Smith's first match in charge, with the former City striker hitting the post in stoppage time as the hosts rather staggered over the line to reduce Arsenal's lead to three points.

City enjoyed 93 per cent possession in the opening five minutes and were rewarded when Stones arched a brilliant left-footed strike into the right-hand corner.

Leicester's slim chances of snatching a much-needed shock victory were further dented when Wilfred Ndidi was deemed to have handled from Jack Grealish's cross.

Haaland slammed away the resulting penalty, and had his second 12 minutes later, brilliantly collecting in Kevin De Bruyne's throughball and lifting a cute finish over Daniel Iversen.

With an eye on the midweek trip to Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola took the chance to rest both of his goalscorers at half-time.

Rodri joined Stones and Haaland in earning a rest shortly after, with Kalvin Phillips handed a rare league appearance, although City's composure turned to complacency when Iheanacho tapped in after Harry Souttar's header was saved by Ederson.

James Maddison missed a golden chance to set up a grandstand finish when he failed to beat Ederson, before Iheanacho struck the woodwork between two hopeful penalty appeals, albeit Leicester's resurgence was too little, too late.

What does it mean? Almost too easy for City

Guardiola will not have been happy with his side’s display in the second half, albeit the stuttering nature of their performance can in large part be put down to the amount of changes made.

The first half was a different matter altogether. City purred, having eight shots, scoring with all three they got on target and registering 1.9 expected goals to Leicester's 0.22.

Leicester's new interim boss Smith, meanwhile, will target matches elsewhere as he looks to drag the Foxes out of danger, though his team had their chances to make a fight of it late on.

Another record tumbles

Haaland's goal tally for the season now stands at 47. The British single-season record stands at 63, scored by Everton legend Dixie Dean back in the 1920s, and you would not bet against the 22-year-old surpassing it.

His next top-flight goal will see him set a record for the most scored in a 38-game Premier League campaign, while he is only two short of the outright competition record, which is shared by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole.

Ton up for De Bruyne

De Bruyne was the creator of Haaland's second goal, nipping in ahead of the lacklustre Ndidi to steal the ball in midfield before playing a perfect pass through to City's superstar striker.

It brought up De Bruyne's 100th Premier League assist for City, while it was the eighth time the Belgium international has teed up Haaland in the competition.

What's next?

City travel to Bavaria for that game against Bayern, while Leicester face Wolves next Saturday.

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City have enjoyed "incredible" success in keeping Erling Haaland fit, claiming his occasional early withdrawals of the striker have been justified.

Haaland sustained several injuries during his prolific two-year spell at Borussia Dortmund, netting 22 goals despite only starting 21 Bundesliga games in his final season with BVB.   

However, only Ederson (2,610) and Rodri (2,407) have played more Premier League minutes for City than Haaland this term (2,187) as Guardiola's men bid for a fifth title in six seasons. 

Haaland has averaged a goal every 72.9 minutes in his first Premier League campaign, and Guardiola says City have a host of medical professionals to thank for his continued availability.

"I don't know what he did in Dortmund but we take care of him 24 hours – we have incredible doctors and physios. They are behind him every second of the day," Guardiola said.

"It's difficult to understand why you would spend a lot of money [on players] and then leave them, but I don't know what the other clubs do.

"With this demanding schedule of games every three or four days we have to take care of them with nutrition, rest, sleep, food.

"For the training, how many minutes – there is data. Sometimes they cannot train more than 10 or 15 minutes."

Guardiola has been criticised for denying Haaland the opportunity to further his goalscoring exploits by substituting him early in some games – most notably when the Norwegian had helped himself to five goals within 57 minutes of a 7-0 Champions League win over RB Leipzig.

The City boss maintains those decisions are taken with the player's condition in mind and believes they have been justified.

"People say, 'Why was he subbed against Leipzig when he'd scored all the goals?' But then he was injured after the Burnley game," Guardiola said.

"He could not play with us against Liverpool or for Norway. We know we have to keep a watch because he's so big. Physios, massage, back, shoulders, tendons... everything.

"He works so much inside the training centre, much more than on the pitch. Today in modern football, players train more behind the scenes than on the pitch."

Haaland has scored 30 Premier League goals ahead of Saturday's game against Leicester City, with only Andrew Cole enjoying a more prolific debut campaign in the competition (34 in 1993-94).

Carlo Ancelotti would not swap Vinicius Junior for Erling Haaland, with the two looking likely to come up against one another in the Champions League semi-finals.

Both Manchester City and Real Madrid comfortably won their quarter-final first legs against Bayern Munich and Chelsea respectively, with star players Haaland and Vinicius shining again.

Haaland has scored an incredible 45 goals for City this season, while Vinicius has 21 goals and 14 assists in 45 appearances for Madrid.

While a prominent goal threat, Vinicius leads the way for Madrid in chances created (89) and expected assists (10.68), and only Eduardo Camavinga has made more appearances than the winger for Los Blancos this term.

Asked at a press conference ahead of Madrid's LaLiga trip to Cadiz if he would trade the Brazilian for the Norwegian, Ancelotti said: "No, what a question! 

"Each one has his own. Madrid takes advantage of Vinicius and [City manager Pep] Guardiola from Haaland."

Ancelotti confirmed he will be without Vinicius as well as Toni Kroos for Saturday's game at Cadiz, with both having adductor strains, but insisted it is merely a precaution.

Former Milan, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss Ancelotti also queried the notion that English clubs are often considered favourites for the Champions League, such as City this season.

Ancelotti masterminded wins over Chelsea, City and Liverpool last season on the way to becoming the first coach to win the Champions League on four occasions.

Madrid knocked out Liverpool this season and are 2-0 up against Chelsea after the first leg of their quarter-final.

"I'm not bothered, because the truth is that English football has teams that compete very well," he said. "It doesn't surprise me that the English are favourites, although Spanish football took two teams to the semi-finals last year, this year Italy has three in the quarter-finals. 

"The English think they have the strongest league, but outside there are other championships that continue to compete with less money, such as Spain and Italy."

Madrid were beaten 3-2 at home by Villarreal in their last league outing, now sitting 13 points behind leaders Barcelona with 10 games remaining.

Ancelotti insists his team will continue to give their all in LaLiga though, suggesting a club of Madrid's stature could not do less.

"We have to respect the competition and if we can't get to the first position, we have to be second," he said. 

"We wear a shirt that demands fighting until the end."

If you didn't see this coming, you can't have been paying attention.

Bayern Munich were bulldozed by a spectacular Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, a 3-0 dismissal of the 10-in-a-row Bundesliga winners a sign of the times.

It was a bad night for the men in red, a desperate one for Dayot Upamecano; a match to remember for City, and perhaps the moment the doom-mongers had seen coming.

How can this City team be stopped? They were terrific and dominant, save from a 20-minute spell at the start of the second half when Bayern gamely gave just about as good as they got.

A team into which mind-blowing sums have been invested were destined to scale heady heights such as these, though. The wealth of talent at Pep Guardiola's disposal is unsurpassed, the Abu Dhabi ownership having backed the manager to bring together an elite pool of players.

This is why some with a Bayern allegiance would like German football's tight ownership rules to be relaxed. For now, a tight rein on spending means Bayern cannot possibly compete in the transfer market with City.

Twenty-five years ago, City were hurtling towards relegation to England's third tier. Now they surely are everyone's Champions League favourites, ripe to be crowned kings of Europe for the first time with one foot in the semi-finals.

Erling Haaland's 45th goal of the season put the seal on this rout, leaving Bayern facing near-certain elimination in front of their own fans in next Wednesday's second leg.

Rodri's wonder strike had broken the deadlock, and Bernardo Silva hit the second to quell Bayern's brief resurgence.

Norwegian Haaland has managed the most competitive goals by a player for a Premier League club in a single season. And if you didn't see that coming, you can't have been paying attention. Deadly for Borussia Dortmund, Haaland was bound to score bucketloads in this City team.

Bayern, traditionally the club that scoop up the best talent from within the Bundesliga, had been powerless when the chequebooks came out for Haaland.

Haaland fancied this occasion early on and took aim from an outlandish angle, from an opportunity given a miniscule xG rating of 0.028. The wild slash with his left boot soared over the bar.

Jamal Musiala was denied by an outstanding block from Ruben Dias as Bayern carved out the best chance of the opening 25 minutes, but then £62.6million man Rodri rocked the Germans with his sensational finish.

The wickedly swerving strike with his left foot came from 25 yards, as Bayern waited for a pass from the player who had not scored in 43 previous Champions League appearances.

Former City winger Leroy Sane fired 18 inches wide from 30 yards to serve a reminder of Bayern's threat, but shooting from that range hinted at desperation.

By half-time, Rodri had passing accuracy of 90.3 per cent and had won six of his eight duels. He had also won possession on 10 occasions, more than anyone else on the pitch, while losing the ball just four times. Even setting aside the goal, he had been magnificent, and City's defending was terrific, with Ederson yet to make a save.

Sane drew a first save from Ederson in the first minute of the second half, and the Brazilian did not make a clean catch, rather juggling the ball. He made a better stop two minutes later, and again it was Sane with the strike after being played through by Musiala.

City could not take advantage of haphazard Bayern defending as Joshua Kimmich blocked Haaland's thumping shot, but that was a sign of trouble to come for Bayern.

Bayern brought on former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane in the 69th minute, but it was 2-0 seconds later, before Mane got to touch the ball.

Upamecano looked to step out of defence but hopelessly lost the ball to Jack Grealish, whose clever backheel played in Haaland. As Bayern braced for him to shoot, the Norwegian crossed instead and Bernardo Silva planted a powerful header through Yann Sommer's grasp.

Sommer saved from substitute Julian Alvarez as Bayern's defence was ripped open again, and the third goal arrived when World Cup winner Alvarez crossed from the right flank, £50million centre-back John Stones headed across goal from the far post, and Haaland, the most coveted player in Europe last summer, volleyed in calmly from a chance he was never going to miss.

Joao Cancelo, on loan to Bayern from City, was booed onto the pitch when he appeared as a substitute. Bayern don't think they have the funds to buy the City cast-off, which sums up the difference between these outfits.

City have won their last 11 home games against German sides in this competition by a 42-10 aggregate, and Haaland has 11 goals in seven Champions League games for City now.

It was entirely predictable he would get on the scoresheet at the Etihad Stadium, but here's a thing that changed for Haaland in this game: as well as taking his goals tally to six in eight appearances against Bayern, he finished on the winning side.

He had lost all seven games he played for Dortmund against Bayern.

Things change once you join City. This is a winning machine, a team on a nine-game streak now, and nights like this make you fear for Arsenal, sat increasingly precariously at the top of the Premier League. They make you fear the rest of Europe will be powerless to prevent a rhapsody in blue come the Champions League final in Istanbul, too.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City offer the highest level of football in Europe, according to Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel.

The Bavarian side travel to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday to face an in-form City side in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Guardiola's men have won their last seven in all competitions to leave their fans dreaming of a potential treble, hot on the tails of Premier League leaders Arsenal, while they have reached the latter stages of both the Champions League and FA Cup.

Tuesday's game will only be Tuchel's fourth game in charge of Bayern since replacing the sacked Julian Nagelsmann, and his side head into the match as underdogs to progress through the tie despite lifting the famous trophy as recently as the 2019-20 season.

Tuchel lauded Guardiola's influence on City and ranked them as one of the finest teams in Europe, though he also feels that makes the opportunity to dump them out of Europe even more enticing having beat the Citizens in the 2020-21 final while he was Chelsea boss.

"I think you can clearly see that there's six or seven years of Pep in this team, very offensive with and without the ball, extreme high pressing," Tuchel told reporters at his pre-match news conference. 

"I think that Pep proves everywhere that he gives his teams his own touch. I can learn about football by playing against his teams, it makes me a better coach. It's unique what he's doing there. They play much more fluently than in recent years. 

"It's the highest level that European football has to offer. They're showing that in the league too. That makes the task appealing. We have to solve it as a team. Maybe we'll be a bit of the underdog tomorrow, but we have to have confidence in our abilities."

City have been spearheaded by striker Erling Haaland, who has netted 44 goals in all competitions this season in just his first campaign in England since joining from Borussia Dortmund.

Tuchel is wary of the threat Haaland, and the rest of City's forwards, will pose on Tuesday, saying: "The numbers, the athleticism, the hunger for goals is incredibly impressive.

"It's not just him. The game speed is high, they create a lot of chances for Haaland and he has the ambition to score a lot of goals. We will only solve this together."

Defender Matthijs de Ligt will be one of those tasked with trying to keep Haaland quiet at the Etihad, and he feels it will need a complete team effort to do so.

"I think Manchester City is the strongest team of all," the Netherlands international said. "They've won the Premier League four times in the last five years, and now they've also got a striker like Erling Haaland.

"It's important that we organise the defence well, also with the midfielders. We have to put in a top performance to stop a striker like Haaland."

Bayern will be without one of their own strikers as a knee issue means Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has scored four Champions League goals this term, will miss out.

Serge Gnabry could be the player Tuchel opts to play up front, with the 49-year-old explaining: "I don't think there's anything wrong with Serge playing on the nine for us. He has a good finish with both feet, good speed and is good at dribbling."

Alan Shearer says "scary" Manchester City striker Erling Haaland can reach 60 goals for the season after closing in on the Newcastle United icon's Premier League record.

Haaland scored a brace in Saturday's win at Southampton to take his tally for the season in all competitions in his maiden campaign with City to 44 goals in 38 games.

That is 13 goals more than the next-highest scorer among players across Europe's top five leagues, with Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe netting 31 in 35 appearances.

Thirty of Haaland's goals have come in the Premier League, leaving him just four short of matching Shearer's record of 34 in a season, which he jointly holds with Andy Cole.

Shearer expects Haaland to surpass that target with time to spare and, with potentially 16 more games to play in all competitions, he believes a bigger milestone is attainable.

"If he can stay fit, Haaland will obliterate the Premier League record I share with Andy Cole of 34 goals in a single season," Shearer said in his column for The Athletic.

"At his current rate of averages in all competitions, with 44 in 38 appearances, he will storm past 50. Even that may be a disservice to him. 

"Who knows, we could even be talking 60 and Dixie Dean territory. Scary."

Haaland reached 30 Premier League goals in 27 games, doing so in five matches fewer than any other player in the competition's history.

Only eight players in the English top flight – most recently Jimmy Greaves in 1961 – have scored more than 40 goals in a single league season.

"I wonder how many people thought it was hyperbole when I wrote nearly a year ago that Erling Haaland would score 40 goals in this Manchester City team?" Shearer said. 

"City were buying goals – as close as you can get to an absolute, cast-iron guarantee – by adding an exceptional centre-forward to a phenomenally creative side.

"If anything, I was being stingy. Exceptional? He's almost perfect and that haul of 40 is already in his rearview mirror."

Haaland's next opportunity to add to his growing haul will come on Tuesday when City host Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

The former Borussia Dortmund man has 33 goals in 25 games in the competition, which is also a record for the quickest time to surpass the 30-goal mark in the Champions League.

Manchester City put pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal ahead of their trip to Liverpool on Sunday with an emphatic 4-1 victory at Southampton.

Erling Haaland's double took him to 30 Premier League goals in 27 games, just 70 shy of Son Heung-min's career total in his eighth season in England after the South Korea international made history on Saturday.

The race for the other top-four places behind Arsenal and City saw Manchester United and Newcastle United both win, while Tottenham remain three points back after riding their luck against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Stats Perform looks at some of the more notable Opta numbers to come out of the pick of Saturday's Premier League action.

Manchester United 2-0 Everton: Wasteful Red Devils still win comfortably

After goals from Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial either side of half-time, United have won 39 Premier League games against Everton, the joint-most one side have against another in the competition's history (also 39 wins for United against Spurs).

Erik ten Hag's men have won 23 of their 28 home games in all competitions this season (D3 L2), their highest total of wins in a single campaign at Old Trafford since 2010-11 (26).

As they continue to fight relegation, Everton have won just one of their last 17 away Premier League games (D7 L9) and remain winless on the road since a 2-1 victory at Southampton in October (11 games since).

McTominay's strike was his fifth in five games for club and country, as many as in his previous 106 appearances for United and Scotland combined.

Ten Hag bemoaned his side's wastefulness as United failed to convert seven big chances – six of which came in the first half – their joint-highest total on record (since 2010-11) in a league match (also seven vs Sunderland in December 2012).

Brentford 1-2 Newcastle United: Bees stung by Magpies

Brentford started well in this one but ultimately failed to win a Premier League game in which they had opened the scoring for the first time (P26 W19 D6 L1), while Newcastle have lost just one of their last five away league games in which they have conceded first (W2 D2), winning the last two.

Eddie Howe has won exactly 100 Premier League points as Newcastle boss (P56 W28 D16 L12), with only fan favourite Kevin Keegan needing fewer games (51) to reach that milestone.

Ivan Toney became just the fourth player to score home and away against Newcastle in a Premier League campaign having previously played for them in the competition, following Louis Saha (2001-02), Craig Bellamy (2008-09) and Abdoulaye Faye (2008-09).

Before netting from the spot, though, Toney failed to score a penalty for the first time since October 2018 for Peterborough United against Barnsley when he saw his first effort saved by Nick Pope, having scored 24 successive penalties before Saturday (excluding shoot-outs).

A David Raya own goal drew Newcastle level, then Alexander Isak scored his eighth Premier League goal to take the points. Seven of those have either drawn Newcastle level (two) or given them the lead (five).

Tottenham 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion: Son reaches landmark while Seagulls are left to fume

Brighton suffered their first defeat in eight Premier League games on the road (W4 D3) since a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in October, although they will be tempted to lay a lot of the blame at the door of the officials.

Seagulls boss Roberto Di Zerbi was furious with two goals being ruled out for alleged handballs, while Kaoru Mitoma was also denied what looked like a very good shout for a penalty. The Italian then became the first manager to be sent off twice in the Premier League this season. Cristian Stellini was also dismissed.

For Son, though, it was a landmark day as his terrific opener made him the first Asian player to score 100 Premier League goals, while he is just the 10th player in the league's history to score 100 goals and register 50 assists for one team – and the first to do so for Spurs.

Lewis Dunk equalised in his 200th Premier League appearance, with each of the last four players to mark that milestone in such a way now having been centre-backs  (also Kurt Zouma, Virgil van Dijk and Ben Mee).

But after the controversy at the other end, Harry Kane won it for Tottenham with his 10th goal in 12 appearances for the club against Brighton in all competitions. The Seagulls are the ninth team he has reached double-figures against in his career, along with Leicester City, Everton, Arsenal, Southampton, West Ham, Burnley, Crystal Palace and Stoke City.

Southampton 1-4 Manchester City

Kevin De Bruyne was back to his sensational best at St Mary's, registering his 100th Premier League assist, making him the fifth player to reach that mark and doing so in fewer appearances (237) than any of the previous four.

Haaland's brace, including an outrageous bicycle kick, meant he has scored 44 goals in all competitions for City this season – the joint-most ever by a Premier League player in a single campaign, level with Ruud van Nistelrooy (2002-03) and Mohamed Salah (2017-18).

De Bruyne laid on the opener and has assisted seven Premier League goals for Haaland this season, the most one City player has ever assisted for another in a single campaign.

Jack Grealish teed up the other Haaland goal and also got on the scoresheet. He has now been involved in 10 goals in 15 league games since the World Cup (four goals, six assists). Only Haaland (14) has been involved in more for Pep Guardiola's team in that time, while it is three more than Grealish managed in his first 34 appearances for City (four goals, three assists).

Julian Alvarez replaced Haaland and dispatched a second-half penalty, becoming the fifth different City player to score as a substitute in the Premier League this season, with only United and Wolves (six) having more.

Pep Guardiola believes Erling Haaland is a match for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as a pure goalscorer after the striker netted his 44th goal of the season on Saturday.

Haaland scored twice as Manchester City won 4-1 away at Southampton to move them within five points of Premier League leaders Arsenal, who play Liverpool later in the weekend.

The striker's second, a brilliant acrobatic volley, took him to 44 goals in all competitions in his first season in England, now tied for the most ever by a Premier League player in a single campaign alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy (2002-03) and Mohamed Salah (2017-18).

Of those goals, 30 have come in the league, and Guardiola was full of praise for Haaland after the win, comparing his prolific talisman to two of football's greats.

"The second goal was amazing," Guardiola told BBC's Match of the Day. "It is not easy to pick the ball up in the sky and put it on the grass.

"His talent is really good. We need him. The first half was not our best level, but he changed the game.

"As a top scorer, we lived two incredible decades with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but he is on that level. He scores a lot of goals."

Southampton, the Premier League's bottom side, largely kept City at bay in the first half until a crashing header from Haaland put the reigning champions ahead in the 45th minute.

Guardiola acknowledged Saints' stubborn display in the opening period, saying: "I give a lot of credit to Southampton. Their game plan was really, really good.

"Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition when you're not at your level. We were fortunate to be ahead at half-time.

"We had more physicality in the second half. We found the second goal after we won a duel, and after it was easy."

City's win puts the pressure back on an Arsenal side heading to an unhappy hunting ground in Anfield, having not picked up three points there since the 2012-13 campaign, when now-manager Mikel Arteta was starting in midfield for the Gunners.

Guardiola would prefer to be in their place, though, in terms of the Premier League title race, saying: "I would like to be in the position Arsenal are in. I would love that. It is what it is."

Manchester City moved back to five points behind leaders Arsenal as Erling Haaland's double helped them to a 4-1 Premier League victory against rock-bottom Southampton at St Mary's.

Pep Guardiola's team were shocked 2-0 by Saints when they met in the EFL Cup quarter-finals in January, but there was never a sign of a repeat on Saturday as the visitors dominated.

Haaland gave them the lead with a powerful header as Kevin De Bruyne reached 100 Premier League assists for his career, before Grealish doubled the lead with an alert finish not long into the second half.

Haaland scored his 30th Premier League goal of the season before Julian Alvarez converted a penalty as City cruised to a fifth successive league win. Sekou Mara scored a Saints consolation with a fine finish.

City carved open the hosts within five minutes, a sweeping move ending with Gavin Bazunu making a good stop to deny Grealish.

Haaland went close to putting the visitors in front when he headed just wide, but he would not miss the target a second time.

De Bruyne's delightful cross picked out the former Borussia Dortmund striker, who crashed a header past Bazunu and into the back of the net to give City the lead in the 45th minute.

Grealish made it 2-0 shortly after the interval, Bazunu making a good stop from his initial effort before the winger coolly buried his rebound.

Haaland added his second and City's third with a spectacular bicycle kick, lashing home from Grealish's teasing delivery.

Mara pulled a goal back when he rifled into the bottom-left corner, but Alvarez rounded off the scoring from the spot in the 75th minute when he slotted home after Kyle Walker-Peters felled De Bruyne.

Pep Guardiola has confirmed Erling Haaland will be fit to return for Manchester City at Southampton on Saturday.

The prolific striker missed a 4-1 Premier League thrashing of Liverpool last weekend due to a groin injury but was back in training this week.

City boss Guardiola on Friday revealed Haaland, who has scored a staggering 42 goals in his first season at the club, will be available to lead the line when second-placed City face bottom-of-the-table Saints at St Mary's.

The Catalan said: "He's been training really good the past two days; he will be ready."

City have won seven games in a row in all competitions and can reduce Arsenal's lead at the top of the league table to five points with another victory on the south coast, with the Gunners taking on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

The champions have scored 17 goals in their past three games as they challenge for more trophies.

Southampton beat City 2-0 at home in the EFL Cup three months ago, though, and Guardiola expects another tough battle.

"The patterns are quite clear," he said. "Every team is playing for something: a fight for the Premier League and a fight to be in the Premier League.

"Every game has its own characteristic, and you have to be ready. Southampton have always been so tough there. The game we made it to 100 points [in 2018] they were much better than us; we've drawn before.

"It's tough, and I have a feeling tomorrow won't be an exception."

Meanwhile, Guardiola does not believe playing before Arsenal is an advantage for his side.

Asked if that might benefit City, he said: "I don't think so. When we had a title race with Liverpool, we sometimes played before, sometimes later. We have to win our games."

Erling Haaland is back in Manchester City training after he missed out on their 4-1 rout against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.

The forward was forced to withdraw from Norway duty last month after he sustained a groin injury heading into the international break.

Ahead of City's return to action against Jurgen Klopp's Reds last week, Pep Guardiola was non-committal on whether Haaland would feature.

Now, in a boost as they look to keep pace with Arsenal at the summit, the striker is back on the training pitch ahead of this weekend's trip to Southampton.