Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that he is unsure if Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne will be fit to feature in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final clash against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.
Both Haaland and De Bruyne were named in the Citizens' starting lineup for Wednesday's second-leg showdown with Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
However, Guardiola confirmed after the match that the attacking duo asked to be taken off before his side were eliminated by Los Blancos on penalties.
Both Haaland and De Bruyne "could not continue" after picking up niggling issues; the former was taken off before the beginning of extra time, while the latter was withdrawn in the 112th minute.
Injuries have troubled the City pair throughout this season, particularly De Bruyne who was sidelined for around five months earlier in the campaign with a torn hamstring.
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De Bruyne "is well", Haaland to be assessed
Guardiola has since issued a positive update on De Bruyne, but he was unable to confirm whether the playmaker or Haaland would be available for selection on Saturday.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Guardiola said: "Kevin is well. Erling. we will see. I don't know I'm not a doctor. [Haaland] said a little bit niggles and we'll see his evolution in the next hours.
"It was a tough game [against Real Madrid]. 120 minutes of action. High intensity for both sides. Erling felt something. A muscular issue that meant he could not continue.
"Kevin was exhausted after five months out injured. That is normal. We will see tomorrow."
"It's normal. The number of games this season and previous seasons, not much recovery and extra time and high intensity the way we play," Guardiola added.
"We put a lot of pressure in our game. They are human beings, not machines and sometimes fatigue is there."
Manuel Akanji also asked to be taken off in extra time against Real Madrid, but Guardiola was unable to give a specific update on the defender at his press conference.
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Will Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne play against Chelsea?
Fixtures continue to come thick and fast for Man City despite having their hopes of winning an unprecedented double-treble ended in midweek, as they are still vying to retain two domestic trophies.
City were virtually at full strength against Real Madrid and with another important fixture against Chelsea up next, Guardiola will be tempted to stick with a similar side that began the match in midweek.
Guardiola's positive update on De Bruyne suggests that he could be fit to retain his place in the first XI against his former club, but Haaland's muscular concern - presumably a minor one - has given the Catalan boss plenty to ponder ahead of their Wembley visit.
Man City coped without the presence of Haaland in two cup ties against Chelsea last season; the Norwegian watched on as an unused substitute as the Citizens won 4-0 and 2-0 in the third rounds of the FA Cup and EFL Cup respectively.
The potential absence of Haaland would most likely see Julian Alvarez, who has scored three goals in his previous five meetings with Chelsea, handed a start as the central striker.
Oliver Thomas
