Haaland suffers knock days before Real Madrid clash

Erling Haaland has sparked concern at Manchester City after revealing he picked up a leg injury just days before the Champions League Round of 16 first leg against Real Madrid. The Norwegian striker posted a photo on Snapchat showing the impact of the knock, jokingly blaming teammate Mateo Kovačić for the incident during Sunday’s training session and captioning it, “Thank you, Mateo Kovačić.” 

City are due to travel to Madrid on Wednesday for a match that carries enormous weight for both clubs. Neither Haaland nor the club have disclosed the severity of the injury, leaving doubts over his availability for the high‑stakes encounter at the Bernabéu. 

The timing is far from ideal for the English champions, who rely heavily on Haaland’s scoring presence in major European fixtures. His condition will be closely monitored as City attempt to maintain their attacking threat against a formidable Real Madrid side.