Erling Haaland was omitted from Manchester City's starting line-up for Tuesday night's Champions League match away to AEK Athens, according to LiveScore, as the club manages an injury he picked up at the weekend. The Norwegian was hurt in a challenge with Ipswich substitute Jack Clarke during Saturday's league win, a match in which Haaland scored twice. LiveScore reports that he was not considered ready to start in Athens.
In his place, 17-year-old Floyd Samba leads the attack for City, who are chasing their first win of this European campaign after a 4-2 defeat to holders Paris Saint-Germain last week.
Why it matters
City's trip to Greece already carried weight after that loss to PSG, and going without their leading striker sharpens the test. Haaland's absence also shifts attention onto Samba, a teenager who has barely featured at senior level but who now carries the centre-forward role in a Champions League fixture. How City cope without Haaland will shape both the result in Athens and the picture around the squad ahead of a congested run of fixtures.
Maresca left it late
City's manager said on Monday that Haaland would be assessed before a decision was made, describing the situation as open. According to LiveScore, Maresca told reporters: "He can be available, we will see, we have a session now. We have some doubts after Sunday's game. He was quite good yesterday, better. So we will see today."
That assessment ultimately went against starting the striker. The injury stemmed from the Ipswich match, where Haaland appeared to catch Clarke after clearing the ball deep into stoppage time. He still finished the afternoon with two goals, but the knock was enough to put his involvement in Athens in doubt from the outset.
A teenager leads the line
Samba, the son of former Blackburn Rovers defender Christopher Samba, was given the nod ahead of Phil Foden, who had been under consideration for the central role. Samba made an immediate impression on his City debut last month, scoring twice in a 5-0 Carabao Cup victory over Norwich, and that display appears to have earned him the trust of the coaching staff for a far bigger occasion.
Foden nonetheless starts the match and is expected to operate from the left flank. Rayan Cherki takes up a position behind Samba, while Allan, a summer arrival, is selected on the right side of the attack.
Elsewhere, Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez return after being rested at the weekend. Ruben Dias is the only member of the back four that faced Ipswich to keep his place, with Rico Lewis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Josko Gvardiol brought into the defence.
City were already without Antoine Semenyo, whose leg injury was confirmed before the match and who faces a spell of up to eight weeks on the sidelines, LiveScore reports.
The match in Athens follows City's setback against PSG, leaving Maresca's side under pressure to collect points on the road. With Haaland unavailable from the start, the emphasis falls on Samba and a reworked supporting cast to deliver.
What to watch next: whether Haaland is fit enough for a return in City's following fixture, and how Samba handles a first Champions League start.
