The Norwegian international has begun his life in the Premier League in an impressive manner and has so far scored 14 goals in ten outings for the Sky Blues, while bagging two hat-tricks in the league.
Erik ten Hag’s side however, began the season with two back-to-back defeats, but found their footing after coming out victorious in their last four Premier League games.
The centre-back pairing of Martinez and Varane have been at the heart of Manchester United’s defence this season since the defeat at Brentford in August.
Both defenders now have a job on their hands to stop Haaland from scoring on Sunday, and Carragher is of the opinion that it will be a psychological as well as physical challenge for them.
Carragher believes Martinnez and Varane have to be cunning to confront Haaland in specific areas of the pitch and emphasised that both defenders must figure out how to take advantage of the Norwegian’s weaknesses.
“You cannot completely keep away from your direct opponent, of course, but with experience comes the knowledge that you need to pick your battles and identify the right areas in which to duel”, Carragher wrote in his Daily Telegraph column.
“It is a psychological as much as a physical test in the biggest fixtures against the best players, recognising what you are up against and trying to work out what the opponent wants you to do most, and what they enjoy least.
“That is the challenge for Martinez, Raphael Varane or anyone facing Haaland.”
The Red Devils are currently fifth in the league table, and last season they lost both the home and away fixtures against their city rivals.
