Pep Guardiola Provides Erling Haaland Injury Update Ahead of Real Madrid Showdown
Erling Haaland is a doubt for Manchester City's knockout stage Champions League second-leg clash against Real Madrid. The first leg at Etihad ended in a 3-2 win for Los Blancos.
City will need to dig deep in the second leg at the Bernabeu on February 19 if they hope to advance, especially with talismanic striker Erling Haaland's fitness in doubt for the match after picking up an injury over the weekend.
Pep Guardiola has now revealed that the striker has traveled with the team for the match along with Jack Grealish, who was also absent from the Newcastle game due to a hip injury.
Guardiola told the media ahead of the Los Merengues game:
Yes, they travelled. We will see tomorrow but it's good news they are here obviously. Jack was able to play a really good game in the [at Leyton Orient] but after he doesn't have the consistency to play three games a week, he was not able to do it. Hopefully, now he is able for the last few months of the season he can get it.
Guardiola also reflected on the magnitude of the game against Real Madrid.
You have to make an almost perfect game, obviously. The result is not the perfect situation. We have to attack and score goals, this is the idea. We will have to play an almost perfect game to go through.
PEP 💬 [On Jack Grealish] He was able to play a really good game in the FA Cup but he doesn’t have the consistency to play three games a week, he was not able to do it. Hopefully, now, he is able to for the last few months of the season he can get it. pic.twitter.com/f1w81xJ2tf
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 18, 2025
Real Madrid, on the other hand, could only manage a 1-1 draw in their weekend game against Osasuna in LaLiga.
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Apratim is an experienced sports journalist having covered European and World Football, Combat Sports, Olympic Sports, and more for online media publications like Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. He is currently an MSc. in Sport Marketing student at Loughborough University, London.