Pep Guardiola says he has finally dropped Erling Haaland against FC Copenhagen because he is tired, and not because of Manchester City's upcoming trip to face Liverpool in the Premier League.
Haaland has started every City game this season, scoring a remarkable 20 goals in 12 games, adding three assists to that tally. Guardiola has previously resisted dropping Haaland, even if he's publicly declared that that time will come and no player is above his rotation policy.
And it seems the Champions League trip to Copenhagen was the right time to rest Haaland, especially with the Premier League trip to Liverpool following on Sunday, with Guardiola explaining why he made a number of high-profile changes in Denmark.
