Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is feeling better after sustaining an ankle injury at the weekend but is not guaranteed to play in the upcoming Champions League game against Young Boys, manager Pep Guardiola said on Monday.
“I spoke with the doctor and him,” Guardiola said of Haaland. “Yesterday (Sunday) he said he felt much better, but I don’t know.”
Haaland was substituted at half-time in City’s 6-1 win against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday after twisting an ankle. Guardiola said after that game that Haaland “didn’t feel comfortable” and was withdrawn as a precaution. City host on Tuesday. “If he says, ‘I am ready, I don’t have pain,’ I will consider him to play,” Guardiola said.
City would secure a place in the round-of-16 with a win.
The team’s next game is against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
Hamburg hub
Barcelona will be the latest Champions League club to visit Shakhtar’s adopted home city of Hamburg for the competition this season. Royal Antwerp is next on November 28. Hamburg is a hub for international football in the next month, even if the German city’s former European champion club is out of that picture.
The port city stages those Champions League games for Shakhtar ahead of the December 2 draw for the men’s European Championship finals tournament.
The Volksparkstadion home of second-tier Hamburger SV has a 50,000-plus capacity and is one of 10 venues for Euro 2024, hosting five games including a quarter final.
The stadium is being used by Shakhtar because Ukrainian clubs have not hosted international games for security reasons since the Russian military invasion started in February 2022.
There were chants for Hamburger SV from a 46,000 crowd when Shakhtar lost 3-1 to Porto in September, perhaps showing frustration of local fans whose team last played in the Champions League 17 years ago.
HSV won the 1983 European Cup — beating Juventus and their superstar forward line of Michel Platini, Paolo Rossi and Zbigniew Boniek 1-0 in the final — but are now in their sixth straight season in the Bundesliga second division.
Barcelona, who have won all three matches in Group H, will advance tp the knock-out round with another win on Tuesday.
Mixed in Milan
One Milanese team can qualify for the round of 16 this week and the other can be pushed to the brink of elimination.
Inter Milan, beaten finalists last season and Serie A leaders, can book their spot with a win at Salzburg on Wednesday.
The situation is bleaker for seven-time champions AC Milan. Milan are last in Group F with no goals and no wins before hosting PSG on Tuesday, three weeks after a 3-0 loss in Paris.
Still, the Rossoneri can take heart that only four points separates first from last in a tough group where Borussia Dortmund host Newcastle on Tuesday.
Milan fans likely will give a hostile reception to their once revered goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma on his return to San Siro. He left in 2021 as a free agent with Milan getting no transfer fee.
Real held goalless
Madrid: Real Madrid spurned several chances as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Rayo Vallecano on Sunday to leave them second in the table behind Girona.
The hosts dominated from the start but could not score despite piling on the pressure throughout and recording 22 shots.
It was the first time this season that Real have failed to score and the result left Carlo Ancelotti’s side on 29 points, two behind unexpected leaders Girona who won 4-2 at Osasuna on Saturday.
Third-place Barcelona have 27 points after a dramatic 1-0 win at Real Sociedad.
“I’m not worried about not scoring, we’ve tried in many ways, it hasn’t worked out and that can happen,” coach Ancelotti said.
“The match was good, with a good attitude and a lot of chances, we lacked a good goal, we are hurt by the result but the match was good in my opinion.”
Vinicius Jr thought he had given Real the lead in the 66th minute, but saw his effort ruled out for a previous offside.
Reuters