Antoine Semenyo will miss the next eight weeks after sustaining a knee problem, which leaves Enzo Maresca with limited choices to cover for Erling Haaland ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League encounter against AEK Athens on Tuesday.

The forward exited the match against Ipswich on Saturday with discomfort, while Haaland also left the field at the end nursing a foot issue. The team aims to recover from their recent European setback against Paris Saint-Germain. Maresca intends to rotate the squad and has noted that Haaland needs rest eventually. With Semenyo unavailable, alternatives like Phil Foden and Iliman Ndiaye may step in.

“Finding a substitute for Erling is never straightforward but we possess various choices; we will assess the situation tomorrow,” Maresca remarked. “Losing Antoine or any squad member is unfortunate. Regarding Erling, we had planned to deploy Antoine in the striker role but now we must explore other players to discover fresh approaches.”

Several players departed the victory over Ipswich with injuries including Haaland, Semenyo, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly, all of whom participated in the World Cup. Maresca implemented six substitutions to manage the demanding fixture list of seven matches in 21 days during October, compounded by international duties earlier in the month.

“Our goal is to handle the entire squad optimally and maintain their fitness levels,” Maresca explained. “Occasionally unforeseen events occur beyond our control, such as Antoine’s injury. We aimed to protect him and ensure he remained in good condition.”

The busy schedule restricts Maresca’s opportunities for training sessions to implement his tactics. “We do our best during pitch time to cover tactics and details before matches,” defender Marc Guéhi noted. “It involves plenty of recovery and rest to prepare the body for the upcoming game. Honestly it has been enjoyable; focusing on matches rather than training sessions proves quite engaging.”