Erling Haaland was left out of Manchester City's matchday squad for the FA Cup tie at Leyton Orient with Real Madrid set to visit Etihad on Tuesday.
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City travelled to Brisbane Road without the NorwegianPep Guardiola chose to trust winter signing Omar MarmoushSeems the manager has one eye on the UCL clash vs RealFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Guardiola made eight alterations to the side that suffered a 5-1 defeat to Arsenal last weekend, prioritizing squad rotation to keep key players fresh. Ruben Dias returned to the lineup, having been substituted at half-time during the clash against Paris Saint-Germain last month. Meanwhile, Jack Grealish and Ilkay Gundogan were handed starting roles, offering valuable experience to a heavily rotated squad.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
While some senior figures were given playing time, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, John Stones, and Bernardo Silva started on the bench. Haaland, meanwhile, was not included in the squad at all, a decision that undoubtedly disappointed Leyton Orient fans hoping to see the prolific forward in action. The Norwegian has already accumulated 2,899 minutes across 33 appearances this season, and Guardiola seized the opportunity to provide his goal-scoring talisman with a rare day off.
WHAT MAN CITY SAID
The club confirmed on their website: "Erling Haaland gets a welcome rest day – no doubt much to the disappointment of the Orient fans."
DID YOU KNOW?
Without their leading striker, City struggled in attack, and their troubles worsened early on when Tottenham Hotspur loanee Jamie Donley stunned them with a spectacular long-range goal in the 16th minute. City found an equalizer but with a stroke of fortune rather than dominance when the ball took a massive deflection of Abdukodi Khusanov to bring the visitors level.
With the match still hanging in the balance heading into the final 20 minutes, Guardiola turned to his bench for reinforcements, bringing on De Bruyne and Phil Foden to provide the necessary creative spark. Their introduction helped tilt the momentum in City’s favour as the Belgian playmaker put his team his front with the daftest of touches after latching on to a cross from Grealish.