sport news Haaland vs Nunez: Haaland's goal tally backs his pedigree but Nunez is on the ... trends now
The Premier League is set to have another rivalry next term after the top-flight's giants confirmed the signings of Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez on the same day.
Manchester City and Liverpool's rivalry is set for another chapter next season after Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp both made moves to bolster their attacking ranks.
On Monday, City finally announced the signing of Haaland on a £51million deal, while in the early hours of the same day Benfica confirmed they had reached an agreement with Liverpool over the signing of Nunez, which was later confirmed by the Merseyside giants.
The Reds have attempted to lift the doom and gloom of Sadio Mane's expected departure, while the reigning champions have finally secured an out-and-out striker.
Born just 13 months apart, both forwards possess the height - Haaland standing at 6ft 4in and Nunez at 6ft 2in - and the pace to create the next biggest City-Liverpool rivalry, following in the footsteps of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne v Mohamed Salah, Ederson v Alisson and Virgil van Dijk v Ruben Dias.
The transfer window's blockbuster signings could decide the title next season but who comes out top in the £136m battle of the strikers? Sportsmail takes a look at who the statistics favour.
The Premier League may have a new rivalry in Darwin Nunez (left) and Erling Haaland (right)
Manchester City finally announced the £51million signing on Haaland on Monday
Jurgen Klopp (left) and Pep Guardiola (right) are preparing to battle for the title again
Both proved they have the potential to be prolific strikers in the English top flight as they were consistently on target in the Bundesliga and Primeira Liga respectively as well as the Champions League last season.
Haaland racked up 29 goals in 30 games across all competitions last season, almost averaging one goal a game.
Meanwhile, Nunez's average output was a little lower but the Uruguay international still managed to find the net an impressive 34 times in 41 appearances.
Haaland's tally was a lot lower than the previous season when he managed an insane 41 goals in as many games but he still excelled given he missed matches through injury.
This is how City's striker and Liverpool's forward performed last season - stats by SofaScore
The Uruguayan international managed to find the net an impressive 34 times in 41 games
Nunez's season trended in the opposite direction as he dramatically increased on his tally of 13 from the season before, suggesting the 22-year-old's stock is on the rise.
And under the instruction of Klopp, his attacking prowess is likely to go from strength to strength - provided he is not a one-season wonder.
The duo are also extremely evenly matched it terms of expected goals with Haaland just slightly edging out his new Liverpool counterpart.
Guardiola's new weapon registered an expected goal rate of 21.72, whereas Nunez was just slightly lower with 21.48.
Again, however, Nunez has built upon his previous season when his xG was 13.97. whereas Haaland's has diminished slightly after dropping from 30.34.
However, Nunez has the upper hand in terms of conversion rate as he pips Haaland with a rate of 31 per cent compared to 27 per cent.
Despite Haaland having limited game time last season, it suggests the 21-year-old may have already reached his best level, while Nunez is
