Enzo Maresca hints a Manchester City superstar could play against AEK Athens – but is it worth the risk?
· Yahoo Sports
Erling Haaland sustained an injury in the closing stages of the hard-fought 3-2 win that Manchester City picked up over Ipswich Town on Saturday. Haaland picked up a lower leg injury when he fired a shot away in the closing stages of the match at the Etihad Stadium and hobbled down the tunnel as soon as the final whistle blew. Enzo Maresca told the media earlier today that Haaland could be available for Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League match week three match against AEK Athens tomorrow night. However, you do wonder if playing Haaland is worth the risk.
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Enzo Maresca hasn’t given up hope that Manchester City will have Erling Haaland available against AEK Athens.
Enzo Maresca did provide an update on the injury status of his squad when he faced the media earlier today. Maresca revealed that Haaland is in contention to play against AEK Athens tomorrow night. Speaking on Haaland’s fitness after the injury he sustained against Ipswich Town, Maresca said: “He (Erling Haaland) can be available. 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.”
You do wonder if playing Haaland tomorrow night is worth the risk considering what City has on the horizon.
Following their loss to PSG last week, Manchester City do need to pick up all three points against AEK Athens tomorrow night. They will not want to lose ground in the chase for a top eight finish in the UEFA Champions League league phase table. So Enzo Maresca’s side must pick up all three points against AEK Athens at home. Based on this, you could see Erling Haaland start tomorrow night if he is fit enough to play.
The question for me is: Is starting Erling Haaland worth the risk? Manchester City’s next two Premier League fixtures are against Aston Villa at Villa Park and then City face high-flying Brighton at the Etihad Stadium. Those two matches will be tough tests for Enzo Maresca’s side. City will need Haaland fit and firing for both of those matches. AEK Athens will be no pushover at the Etihad, but the safe option may be to have Haaland on the bench tomorrow night in case of an emergency. City cannot afford to push Erling Haaland too hard given his importance to them.
Enzo Maresca hasn’t given up hope that Erling Haaland can play tomorrow night against AEK Athens. It remains to be seen if Haaland is fit enough to play but he didn’t train with his teammates in Manchester City’s open training session earlier today. So perhaps Haaland won’t be ready to start tomorrow night but you do feel that starting Haaland isn’t a risk worth taking given the challenges that City have on the horizon.