Erling Haaland: Pep Guardiola makes huge Man City selection choice in biggest game of the season
- Erling Haaland dropped from Man City lineup against Real Madrid
- Striker among substitutes after starting 34 times this season
- Kevin De Bruyne also left out of Pep Guardiola's XI in bold move
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made the huge call not to start Erling Haaland in Wednesday night’s Champions League decider against Real Madrid.
The Premier League champions trail 3-2 on aggregate going into the second leg of the knockout play-off at the Bernabeu and face an uphill battle to turn things around.
But fans were shocked not to see Haaland's name among the starters when the lineups were published just over an hour before kick-off. Instead, the Norwegian was forcibly benched for the first time this season, having started all 34 previous Premier League and Champions League games.
It appeared he was carrying a knock and was not deemed able to start, with the decision only made on the morning of the game. "Not close enough," was Guardiola's fitness summary.
It was only a few weeks ago that Haaland signed a new decade-long contract until 2034.
There was also no Kevin De Bruyne in Guardiola's lineup. Being left out of perhaps the biggest games of the season paints a grave picture over the ageing Belgian's future at the club, out of contract at the end of the current campaign and already linked with a golden sunset move to Saudi Arabia.
De Bruyne played no part at the weekend against Newcastle, left on the bench as an unused substitute in a Premier League game for the third time this season.
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