Maresca says City cannot rely on Haaland for every goal versus Leipzig

Enzo Maresca warned that Manchester City cannot rely on Erling Haaland to score every goal ahead of Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash with RB Leipzig, adding that the Norway international will shoulder the majority of the side’s goalscoring burden in the German capital.

Domestic form and cup win

City suffered back‑to‑back Premier League defeats to Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion, which came either side of a Carabao Cup victory against the latter.

Maresca will be hoping to straighten his side’s form on Wednesday against RB Leipzig.

Despite questionable domestic form, Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League run this season has provided significant hope among supporters.

City beat FC Porto on the opening day of this season’s competition.

City were beaten by Paris Saint‑Germain at the Etihad Stadium but showed optimism in defeat that produced more positives than negatives.

Champions League pedigree

Two weeks ago Maresca guided his side to a cruising 5‑1 victory over AEK Athens, with Phil Foden scoring a scintillating hat‑trick.

In that game Elliot Anderson also scored his maiden City goal.

Rayan Cherki added his sixth goal of the 2026‑27 season in the same match.

Maresca said the club cannot rely on Haaland to score all goals, noting that over‑reliance can cause issues.

He admitted it is risky to rely on Haaland especially when the side play twice per week, but said he is happy if the forward is on the pitch.

“For me, it's very important that in each game, we create chances. For sure, when you have Erling on the pitch, it's better because you know he's going to score goals and is always there. At the same time, we cannot rely on Erling every game. We need the rest to also score goals. But in this moment, I think the last game against Brighton was the only game of the season when we didn't score. I think so anyway. But for sure, if Erling is on the pitch, we're happy.”

Haaland has scored 13 goals for Manchester City this season and will look to continue chasing records after overtaking Ruud van Nistelrooy to climb into seventh on the all‑time UEFA Champions League scorers list.

Since his move from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, City beat Leipzig 8‑1 on aggregate in the round of 16 in the Treble season, during which Haaland broke another record.

With a first‑half hat‑trick as part of a five‑goal haul, Haaland joined Lionel Messi as the only players to score five times in a UEFA Champions League knockout‑stage game, and one of only three, alongside Luiz Adriano, to score five in any UEFA Champions League match.

Foden revealed he can keep growing and getting better with more minutes and appearances.

“Hopefully! Consistency, just keep playing regularly, being happy, positive and being in the right positions to score as well. Hopefully, I can get back to that level. I think I'm slightly starting to get there now with my recent performances, so hopefully I just keep growing and keep getting better.”

The Stockport‑born forward is set to start against RB Leipzig in Germany on Wednesday night as the Blues look to return to winning ways after two consecutive Premier League defeats and improve on a run that has seen them lose three of their last six games in all competitions.