Man City handed Erling Haaland injury boost as Real Madrid suffer Kylian Mbappe blow

Good news, and bad, ahead of the Champions League last-16 first-leg clash

The striker was absent on Saturday as City came from behind to beat Newcastle in the FA Cup.

Pep Guardiola confirmed ahead of the 3-1 victory that Haaland was being rested ahead of a season-defining run of fixtures, including the Champions League double-header against the Spanish giants, and the Carabao Cup final later in March.

“I was not planning to play him,” Guardiola said. “I would prefer [him to have] good training sessions than to travel and play just 10-15 minutes.”

It was the second game in three which Haaland had missed, after sitting out the win over Leeds with a knock before returning for the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.

But Haaland is expected to start against Real Madrid on Wednesday evening, and was going through the usual training drills under the watchful eye of Pep Guardiola on Tuesday morning. It leaves only Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic absent for the last-16 first-leg clash.

It was less positive news for Madrid, though, with seven first-team stars missing, including Kylian Mbappe .

After missing the training session on Monday, the French star was again a no-show on Tuesday due to an ongoing knee injury.

He will play no part against City , and reports in Spain suggest he may not play again until April despite initial hopes he could face City in the second leg next week.

Also absent for Madrid were Jude Bellingham, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since last month, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Dani Ceballos, Rodrygo and Alvaro Carreras.