There was no shortage of thrills and spills on matchday one of the Champions League, and Wednesday's action promises more of the same as one of the world's most in-form strikers faces his former club.

Erling Haaland has made a spectacular start to his Manchester City career, hitting 12 goals in all competitions since his move from Borussia Dortmund, but how will he fare when his old team visit the Etihad Stadium? 

Elsewhere, Graham Potter will hope to have an immediate impact in his first game as Chelsea's head coach as they bid to bounce back from last week's 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.

Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, are among the favourites to be crowned European champions, and will both be hopeful of making it two wins from two outings.

Ahead of another intriguing set of European ties, Stats Perform trawls through the Opta data to highlight the most noteworthy facts for each game.

Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund

City striker Haaland netted 15 times in 13 Champions League appearances for Dortmund, and few would bet against the Norwegian haunting his former team on Wednesday.

Haaland helped himself to a brace at Sevilla last time out, bringing him to 25 Champions League goals in just 20 appearances – the highest tally managed by any player in their first 20 games in Europe's premier club competition. 

The visit of BVB will represent a landmark outing for City boss Pep Guardiola, taking him to 150 Champions League games. Only five other coaches have reached that tally, while only two have earned more victories than Guardiola's 94 – Alex Ferguson (102) and Carlo Ancelotti (99).

The omens are certainly good for the Premier League champions, who are unbeaten in their last 20 Champions League home games, winning 18 and drawing two. That represents the longest such sequence by an English side since Chelsea's run of 21 without defeat between September 2006 and December 2009.

Dortmund, meanwhile, have not won at an English side in the competition since beating Arsenal 2-1 in October 2013.

Chelsea v Salzburg

Defeat to Dinamo Zagreb spelled the end of Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea reign last week, and Potter is the man entrusted to ensure they avoid back-to-back continental defeats when Salzburg visit.

Chelsea have never previously lost their opening two games of a Champions League campaign, and last lost consecutive games in the competition in 2019-20, when they were beaten by Bayern Munich in both legs of a last-16 tie.

This will be the first meeting between Chelsea and Salzburg, with the Blues only losing one of their previous four European ties against Austrian teams (W1 D2). Salzburg, meanwhile, have never beaten an English side in European competition in six attempts (D1 L5).

But the Blues will have to be wary of Matthias Jaissle's young guns at Stamford Bridge, and may need to keep a particularly close eye on Noah Okafor. 

The 22-year-old has four goals in his last five Champions League outings for Salzburg – only Haaland (eight) has ever scored more for the club in the competition.

Real Madrid v RB Leipzig

Holders Madrid are looking to secure consecutive wins when they host RB Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu, and are unbeaten in their last 11 Champions League games against German opponents, scoring at least two goals in all of those matches (27 in total).

Leipzig, however, are unbeaten in their three European clashes with Spanish sides (W2 D1) and will be looking for a result comparable to their 2-1 quarter-final win over Atletico Madrid in 2019-20.

Los Blancos possess a remarkable amount of experience at the highest level; should Luka Modric feature, he will become the first 37-year-old outfield player to play a European Cup/Champions League game for Madrid since Ferenc Puskas in November 1965 against Kilmarnock.

Coach Ancelotti, meanwhile, is on the brink of his 100th win in the Champions League, and could become just the second boss to bring up such a century in the competition (after Alex Ferguson with 102).

Maccabi Haifa v Paris Saint-Germain

Kylian Mbappe scored a terrific brace to get PSG's European campaign off to a flying start against Juventus, and a trip to Maccabi Haifa gives him the opportunity to make club history.

The striker has scored 29 goals in 45 Champions League outings with PSG, scoring against 14 of the 17 opponents he's faced with the French champions. One more goal will see him level Edinson Cavani's record of 30 goals in the competition for the Ligue 1 side.

He could be aided by the in-form Neymar, who has provided eight assists for Mbappe in the Champions League, more than any player has assisted another in the competition since the start of 2017-18.

The final member of their revered forward trio, Lionel Messi, also has his eyes on making history.

Messi has scored against 38 different teams in the Champions League, the same amount as his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo, and will be keen to claim the record outright when he faces Maccabi for the first time on Wednesday.

Other fixtures:

Rangers v Napoli

1 – Wednesday's rearranged match will be the first competitive meeting between Rangers and Napoli. The Serie A side have only faced a Scottish team in European competition once before, exiting to Hibernian in the Fairs Cup in November 1967.

3 – Piotr Zielinski was directly involved in three of Napoli's four goals as they thrashed Liverpool last week (two goals, one assist). This is already his best campaign for goal contributions in the competition since joining Napoli.  

Milan vs Dinamo Zagreb

6 - Milan have failed to win any of their last six home games in the Champions League (D3 L3), their longest run without a home victory in the competition.

31.8 – Dinamo Zagreb had just 31.8 per cent possession against Chelsea on matchday one, the lowest of any team who managed to avoid defeat in their opening game.

Shakhtar Donetsk v Celtic

3 – Shakhtar's Mykhailo Mudryk was one of three players to be directly involved in three goals on matchday one (one goal, two assists), along with Robert Lewandowski and Zielinski.

1/13 - Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart has only kept one clean sheet in his last 13 away Champions League games, with his last coming at Roma in December 2014 (for Manchester City).

Copenhagen v Sevilla

8 - Spanish sides are unbeaten in all eight of their Champions League games against Danish clubs (W6 D2) – only against sides from the Czech Republic (13) have Spanish teams appeared more often without defeat.

3/4 - Sevilla have lost three of their last four Champions League group-stage games (W1), as many as they lost in their previous 22 such matches (W10 D9).

Juventus v Benfica

2 - Juventus have lost their last two Champions League games. Only once in the history of the European Cup/Champions League have they lost three in a row, doing so between May 1968 and September 1972.

4 – Benfica's Alejandro Grimaldo has been involved in four goals in his last four Champions League games (one goal, three assists), more than he was in his first 27 games in the competition (two goals, one assist).

Marco Rose insisted he took no extra satisfaction from beating Borussia Dortmund after he began his RB Leipzig tenure with a 3-0 thrashing of his former employers.

Goals from Willi Orban, Dominik Szoboszlai and Amadou Haidara got Rose's Leipzig reign off to the ideal start on Saturday, as they moved to within four points of Dortmund in the Bundesliga table.

Rose led Dortmund to a second-placed finish in his single season in charge last term, but was dismissed in May.

His exit allowed Edin Terzic, who performed the role of technical director during Rose's reign, to step back into the Dortmund dugout, and some had suggested the duo were set for an awkward reunion at the Red Bull Arena.

Speaking to Sky Sports, however, Rose said he took "zero point zero" satisfaction from beating his former colleague. 

"I really enjoyed being with the club. This is a great club," he said.

"I've met great people. In the end, it didn't fit any more, I had to go. I have a very good relationship with Edin. I wish BVB and the boys personally all the best."

Rose was later full of praise for his side's performance, declaring: "We were very present from the first minute. It wasn't perfect in terms of content, but we were intense, showed something and took the whole stadium with us.

"But I'm very happy with how we performed today. One of the keys to our success was definitely that we were able to use our pace and bring the quality of play onto the pitch.

"Leipzig is my home, with which I identify strongly. I feel very comfortable, I really like the people, and you saw that you can spark something together here."

Leipzig's clean sheet was just the second they have ever kept against Dortmund, with the other coming in their first competitive meeting in September 2016. Die Roten Bullen had conceded at least once in each of the teams' subsequent 12 meetings. 

Rose, meanwhile, has claimed just his second victory in his last seven games against BVB (five losses).

Goalscorer Szoboszlai worked with Rose at Salzburg between 2017 and 2019, and says he owes his career to the 45-year-old.

"I've known Marco since my time in Salzburg," he said. "We had both good and bad times together. But it's very clear, if he hadn't been there in my career, I wouldn't be where I am now."

Rose will face another of his former clubs when Leipzig go to Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga next Saturday, though he must first navigate a Champions League trip to reigning champions Real Madrid on Wednesday.  

Sebastien Haller has been surprised by the "compassion" of others since being diagnosed with testicular cancer, as FIFA president Gianni Infantino backed the Borussia Dortmund striker to bounce back.

The Ivory Coast international moved to Bundesliga heavyweights Dortmund of the new campaign, after a superb 2021-22 season with Ajax saw him finish as the Eredivisie's top scorer.

His plans for making an early impact on the field in Germany were scuppered when a tumour was found, with the 28-year-old former West Ham player needing to undergo chemotherapy.

Haller has been understandably reluctant to put a time frame on his return to action, but he feels positive about the progress he is making, saying: "I'm very well. The treatment is going well, and luckily I'm able to train every day."

Speaking about the support he has had, Haller told FIFA.com: "It was a shock, but it's been positive. I never expected to get such a response or have so much compassion shown to me, and not just from the football world. These are things that bring us all together, and it's given me a huge amount of strength in facing up to this challenge.

"It doesn't matter whether they're Ivorian, Dutch, French, German, English or whatever; everyone who's given me their support from near or far is a source of energy for my family, friends and I.

"All I can say to them is that I'll be doing everything I can to come back as quickly as possible and to play a decisive role for my club and my country."

Haller made a welcome appearance in the crowd to see Dortmund get their Champions League campaign off to a winning start on Tuesday, with a 3-0 home victory over FC Copenhagen.

Dortmund also sit second in the Bundesliga table after five games, level on points with Freiburg who hold top spot on goal difference.

The signs are promising that Haller will rejoin a strong squad, once he is ready to play again.

FIFA chief Infantino wrote to him: "On behalf of both myself and the international football community, I would like to extend my sincere wishes to you for a full and speedy recovery, and hope to see you back to full health very soon."

Football is, indeed, a funny old game.

Given the regular twists of fate the football calendar can throw up, it should perhaps be little surprise to see the start Marco Rose has been handed after being appointed RB Leipzig head coach this week.

The first two Bundesliga games for Rose will be against his former clubs, Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach, either side of a trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to play Real Madrid in the Champions League.

"We all play in the same league so we'll face every team at some point," he said after he was announced by Leipzig. "It's definitely special and exciting, but I have a lot of work to do here so the scheduling isn't very important. We'll take it as it comes."

And he's right. Domenico Tedesco's replacement must get off to a good start to get Leipzig's season back on track, and who better to do it against than a Dortmund side that has already opened up a seven-point gap on them?

Opposing starts

After winning just five points from their first five games, Leipzig are experiencing their second-worst start to a Bundesliga season, though they have beaten last season's effort by a point.

Following their 4-0 humbling at Eintracht Frankfurt last time out, they have conceded nine Bundesliga goals already for the first time ever, and have never scored fewer goals at this stage (also six last season).

Dortmund, on the other hand, have collected 12 points from their first five games for the third successive season, sitting second in the table, ahead of Bayern Munich in third.

Edin Terzic's men also won their first two away games for the first time since 2015-16, meaning they could win their first three on the road in a top-flight season for only the third time (also in 2000-01 and 2010-11).

Kiss from a Rose

Marco Rose was in charge of 46 competitive matches as coach of Dortmund last season, but now that he is set to take on his former club in his first match as coach of Leipzig, it must be noted that he has lost five of his last six competitive games against BVB (W1).

New boss Terzic has won all three of his competitive games as head coach against Leipzig, including a 4-1 victory in the 2021 DFB-Pokal final.

In fact, Terzic has recorded more wins and scored more goals (10) against Leipzig than versus any other team, so will be confident of piling more misery on them on Saturday.

Importance of Reus and Nkunku

Marco Reus made it 1-0 to Dortmund for the 45th time in the Bundesliga when he scored against Hoffenheim last week. In doing so, he drew level with Manfred Burgsmuller's club record.

Reus has had a hand in 17 goals in the top flight in 2022 (seven goals, 10 assists) – of current Bundesliga players, only Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku has been directly involved in more (25 – 17 goals, eight assists).

Nkunku will make his 100th Bundesliga appearance on Saturday, should he play, and is the only player since his debut in August 2019 to score at least 30 goals (35) and set up 30 (32).

He was directly involved in five goals against Dortmund last season (two goals, three assists) – a record he did not better against anyone else (four goals, one assist against Hertha Berlin).

Keeping those sheets clean

Leipzig have only ever kept one clean sheet against Dortmund, which came in their first ever competitive meeting, a 1-0 home win in September 2016. They have since conceded at least once in all 12 meetings. Leipzig have never endured such a long wait for a clean sheet against any other side.

Despite losing Erling Haaland to Manchester City, BVB have continued to score goals, and have found the net in each of their last 33 Bundesliga games, the second-longest run in club history (37 games from 2020 to 2021).

No side has kept more clean sheets in the Bundesliga this season than Dortmund (three, level with leaders Freiburg), and only Union Berlin (three) have allowed opponents fewer clear-cut chances than BVB (five, and none over the last two matchdays).

Chelsea have reportedly held an emergency call with new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to reassure him of his future with the club after Thomas Tuchel's surprise sacking.

Tuchel was removed from his position after Chelsea's 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener, in a move that will carry a heavy financial cost, according to reports from the Daily Mail and The Mirror.

Tuchel and his backroom staff are said to be receiving £15million in pay-outs, and Brighton are set to claim £20m in compensation after Graham Potter took over.

One of the main selling points for Aubameyang to come to Stamford Bridge was his relationship with Tuchel, who had coached him at Borussia Dortmund, and the Telegraph claims Chelsea's ownership group went out of their way to reassure the 33-year-old striker about his decision after cutting ties with Tuchel.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA OWNERS REASSURE AUBAMEYANG OF HIS ROLE AFTER TUCHEL FIRING

According to the Telegraph's report, controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Egbali addressed the Chelsea squad on Wednesday after Tuchel's sacking took place that morning, but there was also a separate individual chat with Aubameyang.

They reportedly told the signing from Barcelona that they "believe he can flourish under new head coach Graham Potter", and the Gabon international is said to have no second thoughts about his decision.

While he was clearly a player Tuchel pushed for, Aubameyang was assured he was "a club signing", and the report claims he "is thought to have been appreciative of the explanation".

In his one game for Chelsea under Tuchel, Aubameyang was substituted in the 59th minute.

ROUND-UP

– BILD has confirmed once again that Liverpool have their sights set on a massive move for Borussia Dortmund's 19-year-old English midfielder Jude Bellingham in 2023. 

– A report from Sport claims the rise of 18-year-old Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde has complicated the arrival of Marcos Alonso, who was brought in to be the main competition to Jordi Alba, but he is now behind Balde as well.

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk wants a move to Arsenal alongside his Ukrainian compatriot Oleksandr Zinchenko, and that it could be possible in January.

– JuveLive claim Juventus are prepared to offer 22-year-old striker Moise Kean to Aston Villa in a straight swap for 24-year-old midfielder Douglas Luiz.

Barcelona coach Xavi is overjoyed by Robert Lewandowski's start at the club, referring to him as "insatiable" after terrorising Viktoria Plzen.

The 34-year-old was in ruthless form on Wednesday, scoring a hat-trick as Barca thrashed their visitors 5-1 at Camp Nou.

Playing his first Champions League game for Barca, Lewandowski netted two sumptuous 20-yard strikes either side of a stooping header, with the hosts comfortable throughout.

Wednesday's treble ensured Lewandowski became the first player to net a Champions League hat-trick for three clubs, having scored four for Bayern Munich and one with Borussia Dortmund.

But Lewandowski's display was not a real shock given his strong start to life in LaLiga, and everything about his first few weeks at Barca has left Xavi amazed.

"Robert is like that, he's insatiable. I'm delighted with how he trains, how he improves the team," Xavi told Movistar.

"He's humble, he expects [of his team-mates] and he does a great job of pressing.

"It's not just the hat-trick anymore, it's his work and how he dominates."

Lewandowski was not the only Barca player to impress, however – had the Pole not scored a hat-trick, most would have seen Ousmane Dembele as the standout performer.

The France international was dazzling at times on the right flank.

It was only the second time in a Barcelona shirt that Dembele has laid on five key passes in a single game, and two of those resulted in assists.

Dembele was in devastating form in the second half of last season, and Xavi feels the winger is having fun at Camp Nou.

"He is happy, enjoying himself," the coach added. "He is a player who makes a difference – he assists and scores goals. He is a dagger down the wing."

Barcelona's three first-half goals on Wednesday ensured they have already scored more than the two they managed in the whole group stage last term.

But a tricky trip to face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena awaits next week.

Robert Lewandowski made history with his maiden hat-trick for Barcelona against Viktoria Plzen, becoming the first player to hit Champions League trebles for three different sides.

The Poland international found the target twice in the first half at Camp Nou on Wednesday, with Franck Kessie and Plzen's Jan Sykora also netting in a frantic opening 45 minutes.

Lewandowski capped a scintillating performance with his third after 67 minutes, firing a 20-yard finish past Jindrich Stanek after a neat interchange with Ferran Torres, who then struck to seal a 5-1 victory for Barca.

The latter strike for Lewandowski made him the first player to ever score Champions League hat-tricks for three different teams, having previously hit trebles for Bayern Munich (four) and Borussia Dortmund (one).

Lewandowski was level on Champions League goals with Karim Benzema (86) heading into the game but moved to third in the all-time scoring charts – only Lionel Messi (125) and Cristiano Ronaldo (140) have more.

The Barca forward has been in fine LaLiga form as well, scoring five times in four league appearances, and will look to continue his scoring run when the Blaugrana visit Cadiz on Saturday.

Marco Reus is confident Borussia Dortmund have left last season's poor Champions League campaign firmly in the past.

Dortmund failed to make it out of their group last season, despite having one of Europe's most prolific forwards in the form of Erling Haaland.

Having started with successive wins over Besiktas and Sporting CP, BVB lost three games straight, including a 4-0 defeat to Ajax in Amsterdam.

A 5-0 rout of Besiktas in December was only enough to secure a play-off place for the Europa League last 16, and they lost to eventual finalists Rangers over two legs.

Dortmund get this season's Champions League campaign started with a home game against Copenhagen on Tuesday – it will be the first competitive meeting between the sides since 2001.

With four wins from five games to start the Bundesliga season, Dortmund are in fine form, and Reus, speaking at a press conference on Monday, is sure there is no lingering disappointment from last term.

"[It] is no longer an issue for us," said Reus, Dortmund's all-time top scorer in major European competition with 26 goals.

"But it's a new season and every team that is in it has earned it, and Copenhagen have earned it as well. 

"We've got 90 minutes where we want to show that we're a team and we just want to get the season off to a good start. And that equals, hopefully, a win."

Reus' sentiment was echoed by head coach Edin Terzic, who knows Copenhagen – who have never previously lost their first group-stage match in a Champions League campaign – will be no pushovers.

"There is no team in the Champions League that doesn't deserve to be in the Champions League," said Terzic. "Regarding Copenhagen, they are back I think for the first time since 2016.

"They have been fighting for years to be allowed to play on this stage again and accordingly they will want to start this group stage with a lot of passion, a lot of euphoria.

"It doesn't matter against which opponent we would want to play tomorrow. For us, it's all about getting through the group stage successfully and about performing well at home."

Dortmund are competing in the Champions League/European Cup for the 20th time, having played in UEFA's flagship club competition in each of the last seven seasons.

They have never lost to a Danish club in Europe in four previous meetings, while Copenhagen have not beaten German opposition in 10 matches.

Erling Haaland has revealed he felt "sorry" for Robert Lewandowski after Bayern Munich attempted to sign the Norway international from Borussia Dortmund.

Haaland joined Manchester City from Dortmund in July after being linked with the majority of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Bayern played down reports they wanted the striker as a successor to Poland captain Lewandowski, who got his wish to join Barcelona.

Speaking in the documentary Haaland: The Big Decision, City's prolific frontman stated that he felt uncomfortable over talk that he could join Bayern while Lewandowski was still with the Bundesliga champions.

"If I try to imagine how Lewandowski thinks... I don't know how many goals and titles he has for the club," he stated.

"Then I do actually feel a little sorry for him. At the same time it's a chance for him to take the next step in his career.

"It feels disrespectful, but at the same time it is an opportunity for him."

Haaland has made a blistering start to life at City, with 10 goals in his first six Premier League appearances, while Lewandowski has scored five in four LaLiga games for Barca.

Chelsea have completed the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona, seeing the forward reunite with his former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.

Tuchel's side have been in the market for attacking reinforcements since allowing Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner to return to their respective former clubs, Inter and RB Leipzig, after disappointing spells in west London.

Aubameyang enjoyed a successful half-season in LaLiga after leaving Arsenal in January, scoring 11 goals in 17 league appearances for Barca last term – a tally only bettered by Memphis Depay (12 goals in 28 games).

That form has persuaded Chelsea to agree a deal worth £10.3million (€12m) for the striker, who has signed a two-year contract with the Blues.

It is expected that Marcos Alonso will head in the other direction, though seemingly as a separate deal.

After the signing was announced, Aubameyang told the club's website: "I'm really happy. It's an honour to be part of this team and I can't wait to start. I have some unfinished business with the Premier League so it's good to be back and really exciting."

Aubameyang will hope a reunion with Tuchel allows him to rediscover the goalscoring form that convinced Arsenal to part with a then-club record fee for his services back in 2018.

The Gabon international has scored more league goals (56) and recorded more goal contributions (63) under Tuchel than any other coach in his career to date.

Aubameyang racked up those figures in just 63 games under Tuchel at Dortmund, averaging a goal every 94 minutes in league action during the German's spell as Dortmund boss – also a career-high figure.

Earlier this month, Tuchel insisted he had no concerns about Aubameyang's attitude despite his difficulties at Arsenal.

"We had a very close relationship. Always when we played him here with Arsenal, there was always straight away this close bond," Tuchel said. "They stay your players, in a way, and Auba is one of these guys."

The 33-year-old could make his Chelsea debut against Leicester City on Saturday, with the Blues eyeing a response after suffering a chastening 3-0 loss at Leeds United last time out.

Manchester United and Manchester City got deals over the line early on deadline day – but there was plenty of time still to go before the transfer market closed.

The Premier League north-west giants strengthened, with United sealing the big-money signing of Ajax winger Antony and City adding another asset in Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund.

Many others were looking to do business in the market before time ran out.

Premier League teams race to wrap up big deals

As well as Antony moving to United for a fee thought to be around £81.3million (€95m), and Akanji fortifying City's defensive ranks, a host of their English rivals were also pushing to bring in new faces.

Liverpool looked set to bring in Brazil midfielder Arthur from Juventus on loan for the season.

With Wesley Fofana having made the leap to Chelsea, Leicester City found a replacement in Belgian defender Wout Faes who arrived from Reims on a five-year deal.

That will be a move that sets the Foxes back around £15million, but manager Brendan Rodgers will hope the 24-year-old can help to revive their struggling season.

Southampton had been pursuing a move for PSV Eindhoven's Cody Gakpo, but while their approach has been reportedly rebuffed, Saints have parted company with Oriol Romeu.

The Spaniard returns home to LaLiga, joining Girona for an undisclosed fee after seven years at St Mary's.

European markets busy in early trading

Barcelona were expected to be busy later in the day, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looking set to join Chelsea and Martin Braithwaite reportedly close to signing for Espanyol.

Sevilla secured a loan move for Kasper Dolberg from Nice, with the Denmark forward looking to secure his place in the national squad ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. That followed Sevilla loaning Lucas Ocampos to Ajax on Wednesday, and the LaLiga side signing free agent Adnan Januzaj.

Ligue 1 side Troyes announced the signing of Manchester City's Colombian forward Marlos Moreno on a two-year deal.

Manchester City have completed the signing of defender Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund for a reported fee of £15.1million (€17.4m)

The Switzerland international has put pen to paper on a five-year deal for the Premier League champions, and will wear the number 25 shirt at the Etihad Stadium.

Akanji will provide further competition for a place in the heart of Pep Guardiola's defence, with Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake injured.

The 27-year-old, who was into the final year of his contract at Signal Iduna Park, is the second player to swap Dortmund for City during this window after Erling Haaland, alongside whom he won the German Cup in 2021.

Akanji played 158 times for BVB across all competitions after arriving from Basel in 2018, scoring four goals, but had not appeared under new head coach Edin Terzic at the start of this season.

"I am delighted to be here, and can’t wait to get started," Akanji told the club's official website. "City have been one of the best teams in Europe over the last few seasons.

"They are brilliant to watch, play an exciting brand of football and compete for trophies year in, year out, so coming here feels like the perfect next step in my career.  

"Pep Guardiola is an exceptional manager, and this is an exceptional squad of players, so this is an exciting opportunity for me. 

"I am really looking forward to testing myself in the Premier League and I will do everything I can to help this club be successful."

Akanji could make his City debut on Saturday when Guardiola's men travel to struggling Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Manchester City have completed the signing of defender Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund for a reported fee of £15.1million (€17.4m)

The Switzerland international has put pen to paper on a five-year deal for the Premier League champions, and will wear the number 25 shirt at the Etihad Stadium.

Akanji will provide further competition for a place in the heart of Pep Guardiola's defence, with Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake injured.

The 27-year-old, who was into the final year of his contract at Signal Iduna Park, is the second player to swap Dortmund for City during this window after Erling Haaland, alongside whom he won the German Cup in 2021.

Akanji played 158 times for BVB across all competitions after arriving from Basel in 2018, scoring four goals, but had not appeared under new head coach Edin Terzic at the start of this season.

"I am delighted to be here, and can’t wait to get started," Akanji told the club's official website. "City have been one of the best teams in Europe over the last few seasons.

"They are brilliant to watch, play an exciting brand of football and compete for trophies year in, year out, so coming here feels like the perfect next step in my career.  

"Pep Guardiola is an exceptional manager, and this is an exceptional squad of players, so this is an exciting opportunity for me. 

"I am really looking forward to testing myself in the Premier League and I will do everything I can to help this club be successful."

Akanji could make his City debut on Saturday when Guardiola's men travel to struggling Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Sebastien Haller has given a positive update on his tumour treatment, but the Borussia Dortmund striker says it will be "a few months" before he can consider a playing return.

His diagnosis followed a July move to the Bundesliga heavyweights, after a superb 2021-22 season with Ajax saw Haller finish as the Eredivisie's top scorer.

Hopes of a flying start in Germany were checked after a testicular tumour was found, with the 28-year-old forced to step back from the field to undergo chemotherapy. Dortmund have since signed Anthony Modeste as back-up.

Former West Ham player Haller has said he is in good spirits and does not feel his body has been significantly affected since starting his course of treatment.

"I walk every day and check my body," Haller told ESPN. "I haven't lost that much after two weeks. I'm even at the same level as a few months ago. That's a good sign and I hope it stays that way. I feel very well."

The Ivory Coast international was reluctant to put a time-frame on his return to competitive football, saying: "Let's just say now is not the best time to take that step, because it will take me a few months.

"The important thing is that I don't lose too much muscle mass. I have to stay fit, and a month before I return on the field I will do some work with the ball again. Now the most important thing is that my body feels good.

"My first goal is to be back on the field, to play for [Dortmund] and score my first goal. That will be a beautiful and emotional moment."

Dortmund have enjoyed a solid start to the new campaign in Haller's absence, with three wins from four Bundesliga games, as they aim to mount another title challenge against holders Bayern Munich.

Jude Bellingham has no interest in leaving Borussia Dortmund this window amid reported interest from Liverpool, according to BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

Liverpool are rumoured to have turned their focus to the England international in order to bolster their midfield ranks prior to Thursday's transfer deadline.

However, Kehl insists there has been no formal approach made for Bellingham as he categorically ruled out a sale in the final days of the transfer window.

"There has been no request for him," Kehl told Sky90. "Honestly, I know that from the player and his family. 

"Jude has no interest in going anywhere this summer. He will stay with us. That I can guarantee to you today. I can see he feels super comfortable with us."

Bellingham has made a big impact for the Bundesliga giants since arriving from Birmingham City two seasons ago.

Despite only turning 19 in June, Bellingham started 44 games for Dortmund in all competitions in the 2021-22 season – four more than any other player.

He has also racked up 15 senior caps for England and became the youngest player to represent the Three Lions in a major tournament at last year's Euro 2020.

With Bellingham's reputation continuing to grow after he impressed across BVB's first four games of the new season, it has also been reported that Liverpool are prepared to wait until January to bring him in.

Asked if he expects the teenager to be at Dortmund at the end of the season, Kehl replied: "I hope so," adding the youngster will "want to take the next step at some point."

Dortmund have started the 2022-23 season with three wins and a defeat, leaving them a point off early pacesetters Bayern Munich and Union Berlin.