Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has provided an injury update on key players ahead of the club’s UEFA Champions League clash against AEK Athens on Tuesday night.
Striker Erling Haaland and forward Antoine Semenyo both picked up injuries during City’s 3-2 Premier League victory over Ipswich Town on Saturday.
While Haaland could be available for the European fixture, Semenyo is expected to spend up to eight weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s encounter, Maresca said Haaland would undergo a fitness assessment before a decision was made on his availability.
“He can be available, we’ll see, we have a session now,” the City manager said.
“We have some doubts after the game. We’ll see, he was quite good yesterday, better, but we’ll see today.”
Haaland sustained a knock to his foot and ankle during the closing stages of the victory over Ipswich, leaving his participation against AEK Athens uncertain.
Maresca, however, expressed some optimism about the Norwegian’s recovery following an encouraging assessment.
The City manager also confirmed that Semenyo would be unavailable for an extended period after medical examinations revealed the extent of his injury.
Asked about Semenyo and the fitness of Nico O’Reilly and Mateo Kovacic, Maresca said most of the other players were expected to be available.
“The rest are more or less all okay, the only one that will be out for probably eight weeks is Antoine,” he said.
The absence of Semenyo represents a setback for City as they prepare for their Champions League fixture, while Haaland’s potential unavailability would leave the club without one of its leading attacking options.
City will now assess Haaland’s condition following their final preparations before deciding whether he can feature against AEK Athens on Tuesday night.
