Manchester City received an important boost ahead of their Champions League showdown with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu: Erling Haaland is back with the squad.
The Norwegian striker returned to training with his teammates after recently being sidelined and missing City’s FA Cup match against Newcastle over the weekend. After completing the session without issues, Haaland traveled with the team to Madrid for the upcoming European clash.
However, his presence in the squad does not necessarily
guarantee a place in the starting lineup.
Pep Guardiola has historically taken a cautious approach when reintegrating players returning from injury, and Haaland himself has previously experienced this situation. On a past visit to the Bernabéu, the striker also returned from injury but began the match on the bench as Guardiola opted to carefully manage his minutes.
There are also sporting reasons that could keep Haaland out of the starting XI. Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo have both been in strong scoring form recently, and their performances could convince Guardiola to keep them in the lineup. If that happens, Haaland could instead be used as an impact substitute in the second half — a scenario that would still pose a major threat to Real Madrid’s defense.
Beyond Haaland’s status, Manchester City arrive in Madrid with most of their squad available. Guardiola is only missing three players due to injury: Mateo Kovacic, Josko Gvardiol, and Rico Lewis.
That still leaves the City manager with a formidable attacking arsenal. The squad traveling to Spain includes several dangerous offensive options such as Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Semenyo, and Marmoush, along with recently recovered wingers Jérémy Doku and Savinho.
City have traveled with a 23-man squad for the match.
Manchester City squad vs Real Madrid:
Trafford, Ruben Dias, Reijnders, Stones, Aké, Marmoush, Haaland, Cherki, Doku, Bettinelli, Nico, Guéhi, Rodrigo, Bernardo Silva, Ait-Nouri, Donnarumma, Savinho, Matheus Nunes, O’Reilly, Semenyo, Khusanov, Foden, Alleyne.
