Manchester City defender Gvardiol in awe of teammate Haaland\u060c<\/p>\n
The last time Manchester City hosted RB Leipzig was not a night Jo\u0161ko Gvardiol remembers with much fondness.<\/p>\n
The Croatia international was then part of a Leipzig defense torn apart by City’s attack as Erling Haaland scored five goals in a 7-0 rout in the Champions League last 16 in March.<\/p>\n
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)<\/strong><\/p>\n Eight months later, as the two teams prepare to clash on the penultimate day of Group G of the competition, Gvardiol, now part of City’s defence, knows he has no no need to worry about a similar night of misery.<\/p>\n At least not in Haaland’s boots.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m happy to be his teammate,\u201d Gvardiol said when asked about the difference between playing against or with Haaland.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just about Haaland, it was the first team on the pitch. [last season], it was a difficult match. As a central defender I was looking forward to facing Haaland but it didn’t end well.<\/p>\n “He scored five goals in 60 minutes. When I saw him get substituted, I was happy.”<\/p>\n City have won the Champions League for the first time and are off to a good start<\/a> in their bid to retain the trophy.<\/p>\n They have a 100% record in the group and a point on Tuesday would secure them top spot ahead of Leipzig, who are also assured of their place in the last 16.<\/p>\n