Haaland gears up to face Real Madrid as Man City train for Champions League semi-final

Norwegian striker out to fire the Premier League club past the defending European champions

Manchester City's Erling Haaland trains at the Etihad Campus on Monday, May 8, 2023. Manchester City will face Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final, first leg at the Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday. EPA

City's Phil Foden during training in Manchester. EPA

ManCity's Ilkay Gundogan alongside Erling Haaland. EPA

Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips. EPA

Manchester City's Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez. EPA

City defender Kyle Walker during training. EPA

Manchester City players during training at the Etihad Campus. EPA

Manchester City's players includeing Erling Haaland, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish. EPA

Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson. AFP

Manchester City's Jack Grealish during training. PA

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. Reuters

City's Kevin De Bruyne, Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker during training. Reuters

City's John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne during training. Reuters

Left to right: Ilkay Gundogan, Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish. AFP

Manchester City's Jack Grealish. AFP

Erling Haaland has enjoyed a remarkable and record-breaking debut season at Manchester City, firing the club to the brink of the treble.

The Norwegian striker, signed last summer from Borussia Dortmund, set a new record for most goals scored in a Premier League season (35) as City lead the standings with just a few games remaining, while he tops the Champions League scoring list with 12 as City prepare to face Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

And it's in Europe's premium club competition where City hope Haaland's brilliance in front of goal can make the ultimate difference as the club continues to pursue their first European Cup.

City met Real Madrid at the same stage last season but fell just short, 6-5 on aggregate after extra time, despite dominating much of the tie. Their lack of a recognised centre-forward proved their undoing on that occasion but City can now call on the best goalscorer in world football.

Haaland admitted himself last month that City had signed him to help the club win the Champions League, and the 22-year-old striker appeared happy to shoulder the responsibility.

“Of course the club want to win the Champions League, they want to still win trophies,” he said. “They won the Premier League four times out of the last five years so they didn’t bring me in to win the Premier League – they know how to win the Premier League. So you can read between the lines. But I’m here to try to help the club develop even more, to try to win the Champions League for the first time.”

Ahead of the first leg in Madrid on Tuesday night, Haaland and his teammates geared up for the match with a final training session inside the Bernabeu stadium. Haaland was joined by the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish - two teammates also in exceptional form who will hope to guide City into the final.

Check out the photos from the training session in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.