Bundesliga
Favre hopes Haaland keeps scoring in Champions League
Borussia Dortmund head into their UEFA Champions League last-16 clash with Paris Saint-Germain boasting the competition's second-highest scorer in Erling Haaland, and a blossoming midfield partnership of Axel Witsel and Emre Can which can give them confidence of progressing.
Haaland joined Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in the winter and while he has already proven he can deliver in the Bundesliga, his European record for the Austrian club is equally encouraging.
The 19-year-old, who has eight Bundesliga goals to his name – in just 305 minutes – found the back of the net the same number of times in the group stage of the Champions League, ranking him second behind Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski in the goalscoring chart of Europe's elite club competition.
"I hope he'll get some for us now," said Dortmund coach Lucien Favre. "Of course it's different in Dortmund compared to Salzburg, but he played in the Champions League there too and scored goals."
Watch: Haaland's top three Bundesliga goals... so far
One of those came against holders Liverpool, while he put three past Napoli across two games, demonstrating an ability to beat some of the continent's best goalkeepers, and a determination to find the back of the net no matter what the occasion.
"He wants to get better and better all the time, even in training," said Favre. "If he misses a chance there, he holds his head in his hands. He's got a fantastic mentality. He's already come so far, despite being just 19."
Haaland is not the only winter recruit to be causing a stir in Dortmund, though, and Axel Witsel has heaped praise on his current partner at the heart of the BVB midfield, Emre Can.
"He arrived a month back and he's settled into the team really well," Witsel said. "We've felt good in our two games together on the field. He and I together can give us a lot of balance and stability in the middle.
"I was previously playing with Julian Brandt, who's a fantastic footballer, but he's a bit more attack-minded. Emre Can's more of a number six. We've done a great job together and we'll see what the coach decides for tomorrow, but if we continue to play together, I'm sure it's going to become something really good. I like him."
With Haaland and the Witsel-Can axis, Dortmund have plenty of reason to believe they can succeed at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday night, when PSG will know they have been in a game.
"Our fans always provide an amazing atmosphere and that lifts us," Witsel added. "I think the atmosphere's going to be electric tomorrow and that will help us play a good game."