“Kevin was exhausted after being injured for five months,” said the Manchester City coach. “We will see tomorrow if he can play. He feels good otherwise. It is normal for players to feel pain. The number of matches this season and previous seasons, the intensity, the short recovery time and the “Many minutes of overtime play a role. We put a lot of pressure on Wednesday. They are people, not machines, and sometimes there is fatigue.”
Doubts also remain about Erling Haaland. The Norwegian scoring machine was replaced following a muscle injury at the start of extra time. “We have to see how he reacts in the next few hours,” Guardiola said. “Erling felt something and was therefore replaced before extra time.”
Manchester City, defending champions, were eliminated by Real Madrid (3-4) on penalties at their own stadium, the Etihad Stadium, on Wednesday. The second leg of the quarter-finals ended 1-1 after extra time. A week earlier, the two teams also played out a 3-3 draw in the first leg in Madrid.
