Manchester City could be forced to navigate Tuesday's Champions League encounter with AEK Athens without Erling Haaland, while forward Antoine Semenyo has been ruled out for up to eight weeks. Haaland suffered a blow to his foot during Saturday's 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town, leaving the 26-year-old as an injury doubt for the continental fixture at Etihad Stadium. Compounding manager Enzo Maresca's problems, Semenyo sustained a collateral left knee injury after entering as a 77th-minute substitute in the same fixture, ruling him out for up to 13 matches.
Haaland's potential absence comes during a prolific run that has propelled City to the top of the Premier League table courtesy of a flawless start across their first seven fixtures. The Norwegian striker leads the league with eight goals after scoring in six straight top-flight matches, and his brace against Ipswich saw him reach 100 non-penalty Premier League goals in fewer appearances than any other player in history. Maresca stated that Haaland was "quite good" on Sunday and "can be available" pending an evaluation after Monday's training, though he acknowledged that replacing him depends entirely on the match strategy.
The attacking dilemma is acute because City lack a traditional back-up striker following Divin Mubama's loan exit to Southampton, alongside the previous departures of Julian Alvarez and Omar Marmoush. Semenyo, who has contributed two goals and three assists in 10 matches this term, was viewed as an option to play as a number nine prior to his scan. In his absence, Maresca suggested midfielder Phil Foden could fill the void after ending his goal drought with his first Premier League strike since December. Other existing options mentioned include summer signing Iliman Ndiaye, who scored 14 goals during Sheffield United's 2022-23 promotion season, and Rayan Cherki, who previously played as a false nine under Pep Guardiola in a 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Brentford.
Looking ahead to Tuesday night, City are under pressure to return to winning ways in Europe after falling to a 4-2 defeat against Paris St-Germain last week. With Semenyo sidelined until approximately December, Jeremy Doku is expected to retain his starting place on the left wing after featuring there against Ipswich. Maresca must now decide whether to risk Haaland or turn to an alternative attacking framework to keep City's Champions League campaign on track.