Manchester City suffered a massive scare as Erling Haaland limped out of their win over Newcastle with a suspected knee injury.
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Haaland limps off during win over NewcastleChampions League clash with Madrid on WednesdayGuardiola comments on knee injuryFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Haaland went down clutching his knee during the second half of the 4-0 win, before hobbling off the pitch in the 87th minute in concerning scenes for City. The striker was able to leave the field unassisted but was clearly uncomfortable.
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With just three days of rest prior to Wednesday's Champions League play-off second leg tie against Real Madrid, City will desperately hope their talismanic striker makes a recovery in time to feature. They trail 3-2 in the tie and the prospect of turning things around is tough enough with Haaland to call upon, let alone without him.
WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID
City boss Pep Guardiola delivered a promising update after the game, saying: "When he went down everyone was scared but he walked off smiling and the doctor didn’t tell me bad news so hopefully he is fine."
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR HAALAND AND MAN CITY?
City's clash in Madrid on Wednesday is the immediate priority but Haaland's fitness could dictate their chances across other competitions, too. Guardiola's side are in the FA Cup fifth round and still have lots of work to do to secure Champions League qualification for next season.