No goal since 2022 

©TM/IMAGO

Erling Haaland is a bona fide goal machine, perhaps the most lethal the Premier League has ever witnessed. The Manchester City striker’s powerful frame, blistering pace and deadly finishing make him a nightmare for any defender to try and limit his influence in front of goal. Yet when it comes to Newcastle United and Sunderland, clubs hailing from the North East of England, Haaland has endured a bizarre dry spell like no other.

Is it something about the sea breeze from the North Tyneside and Northumberland coastlines, which are a mere eight miles away from St James’ Park? Or the deafening roar of the 50,000 fans inside the Stadium of Light, a venue where promoted Sunderland have been as tough opposition as any on their home turf this season? Either way, Haaland has been firing blanks against teams from the Tyne-Wear area and that applies to when he has played at the Etihad too.

In fact, Haaland has scored against 23 of their 24 opposing teams he has faced in the Premier League. As the graphic above details, 19 of those teams are currently in the top flight – but Sunderland are the only side not to concede against the big Norwegian. He did manage to find the back of the net against Newcastle in the 3-3 draw back in August 2022. Remarkably, however, he has failed to score in the eight matches he has played against them since.

This is a striker who has 107 goals in 123 league matches since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in July 2022 and already has racked up 22 in the current domestic campaign. So to have such an anomalous record against one club – or two from the same region – is mystifying. The credit must go to Regis Le Bris and Eddie Howe, who were exclusively in charge for all of the fixtures against Haaland, in finding a way to limit his impact. Having physical defenders like Dan Burn and Omar Alderete certainly helps, as they can make life difficult for any striker – including Haaland.

It’s been three and a half years since Haaland last found the net against Newcastle and the Toon will be desperate to ensure it stays that way come Saturday evening at the Etihad Stadium. Howe might even be tempted to post his underwhelming stat line on the dressing room wall to give his players some extra motivation to keep a clean sheet.

But the danger of encountering a predator in the box is that eventually, they will take their chance. Given City’s recent form and Haaland’s upturn, Newcastle’s resistance could finally be broken on Saturday evening.