Antoine Semenyo has been sidelined for eight weeks due to a knee injury, leaving Enzo Maresca without key alternatives for Erling Haaland, who is also a doubt for Manchester City’s upcoming Champions League match against AEK Athens on Tuesday.

Semenyo sustained the injury during the match against Ipswich on Saturday, while Haaland struggled with a foot injury and left the pitch limping. City aims to recover from their recent defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last Wednesday as they look to reinvigorate their European campaign.

Maresca acknowledged the challenge of replacing Haaland, stating, “To replace Erling it’s always difficult but we have some different options; we’ll see tomorrow.” With Semenyo unavailable, potential replacements include Phil Foden and Iliman Ndiaye.

The injury woes extend beyond Semenyo and Haaland, as Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes, and Nico O’Reilly also featured in the match against Ipswich and are dealing with fitness concerns. Maresca has emphasized the importance of rotation during a grueling schedule of seven games in 21 days this October, compounded by international commitments for many players.

Maresca remarked, “We try to manage all the players in the best way, try to keep them fit. Even sometimes things happen that you cannot control, like Antoine’s injury.”

Defender Marc Guéhi added that the tight schedule has limited training time, focusing instead on recovery and tactics. He noted, “It’s just a lot of recovery, sleep, to make sure the body is right for the next game,” expressing enjoyment in the busy match schedule.