Manchester City's preparations to face Arsenal this weekend have suffered another setback with news of a fifth player withdrawing from international duty.
07.03.2024 - 05:21 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Manchester City had started thinking of Sunday's huge Premier League clash at Liverpool when he rested seven big names for the Champions League last-16 second leg vs FC Copenhagen.
Those seven big names can all expect to start at Anfield, and Pep Guardiola would have given even more thought to the weekend after seeing City go two goals ahead after just eight minutes to put four aggregate goals between themselves and a premature exit from Europe. Erling Haaland cancelled out Mohamed Elyounoussi's well-taken goal before the break to maintain that lead at the break.
The second half saw no further goals as Guardiola used the opportunity to give Rodri and Ruben Dias a rest ahead of the Liverpool clash - with City marching on safely into the quarter-finals.
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These are the moments you may have missed from City's Champions League win:
It's not unusual to see chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the Etihad, especially for big games, but it is rare to see him pitchside. 25 minutes before kick-off at the Etihad Stadium, Al Mubarak could be seen standing just behind the City dugout in the Tunnel Club seating area, showing Andriy Shevchenko and other VIP guests around. The pair spent a few minutes looking around before withdrawing back into the hospitality areas - presumably for a hot tea or bovril before kick-off.
Closest to the chairman was a high-quality bench that included Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden - most of who were taking part in a rondo that lacked the usual intensity. Those players may know they were
Manchester City's preparations to face Arsenal this weekend have suffered another setback with news of a fifth player withdrawing from international duty.
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