Erling Haaland is a major doubt for Manchester City's Champions League meeting with AEK Athens, though Antoine Semenyo is sidelined.
Injury Concerns After Ipswich Win
Manchester City's victory over Ipswich at the weekend, extending their Premier League winning streak to seven games, came at a cost as head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed five new injury scares. Among those was Haaland, who suffered a knock during the closing stages and was not spotted in training on Monday despite a rather positive update regarding his fitness.
“He can be available,” Maresca said in the pre-match press conference. “We’ll see. We have a session now and we have some doubts after Sunday’s game. He was quite good yesterday. Better. So we’ll see today. Replacing Erling is always difficult. We have some different options and we’ll see tomorrow. It depends a little bit on the gameplan and also there is a chance he can be available tomorrow.”
Selection Dilemma Without Haaland
If Haaland is not passed fit, it will leave Maresca with a selection dilemma as to who will lead the line against AEK, as Semenyo - who can operate as a No9 - has been ruled out for up to eight weeks with a knee injury.
As a result, Phil Foden could be used in a false nine role after scoring against Ipswich, and that would open the door for Rayan Cherki to return to the side after earning a full rest at the weekend. Enzo Fernandez and Elliot Anderson are expected to be recalled in central midfield, while Mateo Kovacic, Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes should be fit after limping off against Ipswich.
Potential Rotation and Predicted Lineup
With a Saturday lunchtime kick-off away at Aston Villa looming, Maresca could look to rotate where possible, and that could mean starts for the likes of Abdukodir Khusanov, Rico Lewis and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Predicted Man City XI: Donnarumma; Lewis, Khusanov, Guehi, Gvardiol; Anderson, Fernandez; Ndiaye, Cherki, Ait-Nouri; Foden.
Injured: Semenyo. Doubts: Haaland, Nunes, O’Reilly, Kovacic. Time and date: 8pm BST on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. How to watch: TNT Sports. Venue: Etihad Stadium.
