In just a few hours, we’ll witness the 2024/25 season’s first Manchester Derby. Pep Guardiola and Co. will be locking horns with Erik ten Hag’s side at Wembley for the FA Community Shield. While the reigning Premier League winners will look to kickstart their campaign with a trophy, the biggest question that looms regarding the match is if star players Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne will be playing tonight.
The duo of midfielder and forward stands crucial for the Sky Blues as they wish to create significant chances within their presence. After all, City’s pre-season friendly tour rather turned out to be bland, having endured three consecutive defeats against Celtic, AC Milan, and FC Barcelona. On top of that, between Haaland and De Bruyne, it’s the Norwegian superstar who got the chance to warm up his legs. Meanwhile, the Belgian maestro hasn’t featured in a single friendly tie.
Concerning their presence in the upcoming clash, then fans are surely in for a treat. Both Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are set to play the emphatic FA Community Shield vs Manchester United. However, whether they play the full game is another key question at stake. This comes after Guardiola admitted that Haaland’s minutes in the match were being managed efficiently. That’s why, the former Dortmund star was substituted within halftime in a few games.
“He’s got some niggles. He didn’t feel good. (It is) disturbing something, he doesn’t feel comfortable. Muscular niggles is not worth the risk. Sooner or later he has to take a step. To lose him for three weeks, that would be a problem,” revealed Guardiola in a presser earlier. However, a hattrick in the final friendly game vs Chelsea made it clear that Haaland is ready for any challenge.
On the other hand, De Bruyne will be playing against the arch-rivals without warming up his legs. The midfielder showed injury concerns in the last season, hence Guardiola may look to be cautious with him as well. Regardless, even though KDB and Haaland are set to play, there are still some key figures that City will be missing vs Man United.
While Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are set to feature, Manchester City misses four big names for Community Shield
Kyle Walker, John Stones, Phil Foden, and Rodri will turn out to be the biggest absentee for the FA Community Shield clash against Manchester United. All four haven’t returned to training since having made appearances for their respective nations in the recent Euros and won’t be doing so until next week.
Their absence may force Guardiola to partner Mateo Kovacic with Nico O’Reilly to vouch for Rodri’s absence. Meanwhile, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Nathan Ake are available at the Spanish tactician’s disposal to fill in for Walker and Stones. As for Foden, the likes of Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku, and Bernardo Silva will be sufficing.
It’s true that Ederson had dealt with minor issues during the friendly tour and had even recovered. Yet, we will see Guardiola count on Stefan Ortega for the silverware opener.