England winger Jadon Sancho is “in his happy place” alongside Erling Braut Haaland as the Borussia Dortmund teenagers look to continue their record-breaking form at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Dortmund head to Bremen chasing revenge for last month’s German Cup defeat and three points to stay in the league title race.
Leaders Bayern Munich host bottom side Paderborn on Friday and third-placed Dortmund trail by four points after last weekend’s 4-0 thumping of Frankfurt when Haaland and Sancho both netted.
“I just feel like I’m in my happy place,” said Sancho, who on current form seems certain to make Gareth Southgate’s squad for England’s friendlies next month against Italy and Denmark.
“I just love football, if I had a choice I’d play every day until I’m 100 years old.”
Haaland became the first player to claim 10 goals in his first seven Champions League games when he netted twice in Tuesday’s 2-1 win against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16, first leg.
It makes him the competition’s joint top-scorer this season alongside Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski.
Sancho was the other 19-year-old thorn in the side of the French champions alongside Haaland as he constantly tested the PSG defence.
Both teenagers claimed Bundesliga records last month.
Haaland was the first to score a hat-trick on his debut as a substitute in the 5-3 win at Augsburg.
Sancho then set his own benchmark in the 5-0 thrashing of Union - when Haaland also scored twice - with the opening goal to become the first to score 25 Bundesliga goals before his 20th birthday.
With 14 assists in Germany’s top flight, Sancho is level with Bayern star Thomas Mueller for most goals created as they threaten Kevin de Bruyne’s record of 21 for Wolfsburg, set in 2014/15.
“Playing behind him (Haaland) and with him is just a great feeling,” Sancho told Bundesliga.
“I know where to find him and where he wants the ball, and he knows how I want the ball played to me - so it’s a good understanding between us.”
Bremen are second from bottom of the table, five points from safety.
Dortmund are firm favourites, “but we have the opportunity to annoy them. There are ways to take away their joy,” said Bremen coach Florian Kohfeldt.
His team’s shock 3-2 cup win over Dortmund at the start of February was their only victory in their last five games leaving Kohfeldt under intense pressure.
“We are in a dramatic situation,” acknowledged Kohfeldt, who said his final team talk is likely to be direct and “won’t include any polite phrases.”
One to watch: Giovanni Reyna
He won’t turn 18 until November, but midfielder Giovanni Reyna is yet another teenager dazzling for Dortmund.
Reyna has been used off the bench in all five league games since making his Bundesliga debut last month.
Reyna showcased his exceptional skills by beating three defender to become the youngest goal-scorer in German Cup history with a stunning strike in Dortmund’s 3-2 defeat at Bremen.
And it was Reyna’s well-timed pass which led to Haaland’s second goal against PSG.
“In training you can see that he has something special. If you can’t see that, you’re blind,” Dortmund coach Lucien Favre said of Reyna.
Key facts
39 - The total number of goals Haaland has scored for Salzburg (28), then Dortmund (11) in just 29 games this season.
17 - The total number of assists Sancho has managed this season, 14 of which were in the Bundesliga.
51 - The league goals Bremen have conceded, the most in Germany’s top flight.
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