Manchester City can only add three new players to their Champions League squad for the knockout stage. They qualified for the round of 16 with a dramatic win against Club Brugge, setting up a challenging match against Real Madrid. Despite being underdogs, Pep Guardiola is optimistic with the prospect of having additional players.
City has until February 6 to make these squad changes before the knockout rounds begin. During the January transfer window, they spent £175 million on new talent, giving Guardiola five new players to choose from: Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush, and Claudio Echeverri, who will join after his commitments with Argentina’s U-20 team.
However, UEFA rules allow only three out of these five to be registered unless more players from the group stage squad have left the club, which isn’t the case here. Echeverri might miss out due to his current unavailability, while Vitor Reis could be overlooked since he and Khusanov share a position.
Real Madrid confirms second huge injury blow for Manchester City Champions League clash
On Tuesday morning in Spain, Real Madrid announced through their official website and X account that another key player from their first team has been injured since the weekend. This injury will significantly impact their preparations for the upcoming Champions League playoff match against Manchester City.
“After the tests carried out on our player David Alaba by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the adductor of his left leg,” a statement on the matter read.
Real Madrid added their customary “pending evolution” note to the injury announcement. However, as per the popular Spanish soccer radio show El Partidazo de Cope, David Alaba is anticipated to be out for two to three weeks.
This comes shortly after fellow central defender Antonio Rudiger was also sidelined for a similar timeframe after he was substituted during their unexpected 1-0 La Liga loss to Espanyol on Saturday. The next morning, Madrid confirmed that Rudiger had suffered “an injury to the femoral biceps of his right leg.”
Once again, the “pending evolution” disclaimer was used, but with both Rudiger and Alaba out, coach Carlo Ancelotti now faces the Champions League playoff first leg against Manchester City at the Etihad without a senior center back.
Alaba was seen as a “new signing” for this crucial match, but while Rudiger might recover in time for the return leg at the Bernabeu on February 19, Alaba’s participation is in serious doubt.
Eder Militao is also unavailable due to a second ACL rupture within two seasons, which has limited Alaba’s playing time since December 2023.
Without these experienced defenders, Ancelotti might have to rely on rookie Raul Asencio and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who has had mixed results in this role throughout the season.
Some Real Madrid supporters might regret the club’s decision not to bring in defensive reinforcements during the January transfer window, which closed at midnight on February 3.
