Enzo Maresca gives injury updates on Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash with AEK Athens

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has provided contrasting injury updates on Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with AEK Athens.

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City welcome AEK Athens to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, with Maresca facing a selection headache after several players picked up knocks during Saturday’s 3–2 Premier League victory over Ipswich Town.

Haaland limped towards the end of the win after appearing to suffer a knock, but Maresca remains hopeful that the Norwegian striker could recover in time to feature against the Greek side.

“He can be available, we’ll see, we have a session now,” Maresca said.

The City manager added that Haaland had looked better during the recovery period, although the striker’s fitness would be assessed again during training.

The situation is more concerning for Semenyo, who is expected to spend up to eight weeks on the sidelines.

The Ghana international suffered a knee injury after coming on as a substitute against Ipswich. Initial fears were reportedly more serious, but scans showed that the problem was less severe than first anticipated.

Maresca confirmed that Semenyo could be out until around December.

“The only one that will be out for probably eight weeks is Antoine,” the City boss said.

Semenyo’s absence could prove significant for City, particularly because he had been viewed as an option to cover for Haaland when required.

Maresca also provided reassurance over Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly, who all suffered issues during the Ipswich match.

The manager indicated that the trio were generally fine, although their fitness would continue to be monitored before the Champions League fixture.

City head into the AEK Athens encounter looking to respond in Europe after their 4–2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in their previous Champions League outing.

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The match is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, at the Etihad Stadium.