Man City Rests Haaland for Madrid
Manchester City beat Newcastle 3-1 in the FA Cup but gave Erling Haaland the game off to help him "rediscover his pace" ahead of their Champions League clash with Real Madrid. Omar Marmoush stole the show in the second half. Other weekend results included Arsenal 2-1 Mansfield, Chelsea 4-2 Wrexham, and Barcelona 1-0 Athletic Club.
The decision to rest Erling Haaland comes after a record-breaking debut season in 2022-23, where he scored 36 goals in the Premier League and 52 across all competitions. This season, the Norwegian striker continues to be a key player for Manchester City. Manchester City's upcoming Champions League tie with Real Madrid is the latest chapter in what has become a modern European classic. The two clubs have met 15 times since 2012, with each team winning five of those encounters and the other five ending in a draw. This will be the fifth consecutive season they have faced each other in the knockout stages. The standout performer in the Newcastle match, Omar Marmoush, has been in impressive form. During the 2024-25 season with Eintracht Frankfurt, he was a leading attacker in the Bundesliga, which prompted his transfer to Manchester City. For Frankfurt, he recorded 37 goals and 19 assists in 65 appearances. Elsewhere in the FA Cup, Chelsea required extra time to defeat Wrexham 4-2. The ambitious Welsh club, owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, took the lead twice before being overcome by the Premier League side. Arsenal also faced a tough challenge from League One side Mansfield Town, securing a narrow 2-1 victory to advance to the quarter-finals. Mikel Arteta rotated his squad, even starting two 16-year-olds, and it took a second-half winner from Eberechi Eze to see off the spirited underdogs. In La Liga, Barcelona maintained their four-point lead at the top of the table with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Athletic Club. The decisive moment came from teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, whose second-half strike was the only goal of the game.
