Manchester City’s hopes of securing a spot in the Champions League knockout stages have received a boost with striker Erling Haaland joining Tuesday’s training session.
Haaland had appeared to injure his knee during City’s 4-0 win over Newcastle United at the weekend, raising concerns about his availability for Wednesday’s crucial second-leg clash with Real Madrid in their Champions League play-off tie.
City are aiming to overcome a 3-2 deficit from the first leg and, based on footage from Tuesday’s session, it seems they will call upon their star striker, as Haaland was seen participating fully in team activities.
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In addition to Haaland’s return, Pep Guardiola also welcomed Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, and Jack Grealish back to training after they missed the Newcastle match. Grealish was substituted early in the first leg against Real Madrid due to a muscle injury, Dias was rested for the weekend, and Ake was sidelined with illness.
Despite the positive injury updates, Guardiola has tempered expectations ahead of the challenge in Madrid, where City will need to win by two goals to secure progression within 90 minutes.
Admitting that his team has not met expectations this season, Guardiola said, “We have just a 1% chance” of advancing, but added, “As long as we have a chance, we will try, that’s for sure.”
