Ask the manager who brought Virgil van Dijk to Britain and was later in charge of the first British club to face Erling Haaland. Neil Lennon has a unique insight into the battle between the Premier League’s best striker and defender.
‘It’ll be a Clash of the Titans,’ he says succinctly. ‘Knowing Virg, he has that cold confidence about him, but then again so does Haaland. It’s going to be a fascinating watch.’
Part of the intrigue is that Haaland has exploded into English football like no one before. He has 20 goals in 13 matches, figures that haven’t been reached since the 1920s.