Erling Haaland has been rested by Manchester City for today’s Champions League meeting with FC Copenhagen.
England internationals Kyle Walker (groin), Kalvin Phillips (shoulder) and John Stones (hamstring) are all still absent with Stones likely to be the first of the three to return, although he continued to sit out training ahead of the game.
City named a 21-man travelling party for the flight to Denmark on Monday with Pep Guardiola kept his cards close to his chest ahead of picking his starting line-up.
He said: “Tomorrow I will decide on the selection. I will speak with players, doctors and physios and decide the best. We will see.”
Youngsters Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and Josh Wilson-Esbrand made the matchday squad but are only on the bench as the Premier League champions look to make it four wins from four in Group G.
Ahead of facing Liverpool on Sunday, Guardiola as once again rotated his playing staff.
Ilkay Gundogan and Aymeric Laporte both start after being unused substitutes in the weekend’s 4-0 win over Southampton while Haaland played 90 minutes at the Etihad Stadium.
The 22-year-old has smashed 20 goals in his 13 appearances for City and for the first time has been taken out of the starting XI. Few could blame Guardiola for picking this trip to take the plunge, with Julian Alvarez coming into the line-up.
Man City XI (4-3-3): Ederson; Cancelo, Akanji, Laporte, Gomez; Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan; Mahrez, Alvarez, Grealish.
Subs: Ortega Moreno, Carson, Dias, Ake, Haaland, Bernardo, Foden, Palmer, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand.
Injured: Walker (groin), Stones (hamstring), Phillips (shoulder)
