Manchester City have set up a meeting with Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 final after beating Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 on Tuesday. However, the team made a decision before the semifinal that will prevent both Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne from playing in the tournament decider.
Though the two stars were initially included by Pep Guardiola in City’s Club World Cup squad, the club ultimately removed them from the roster before the clash against the Japanese team.
Club World Cup rules state a team can only field players who were on the roster in the semifinals, which is why both Haaland and De Bruyne are not eligible against Fluminense. Jeremy Doku has also been cut from the tournament squad before the semis, so he won’t play in the final either.
Haaland, De Bruyne have yet to come back from injuries
While City could have kept Haaland and De Bruyne on the squad anyway to try and see if they could make it on time for the final, it looks like the club wasn’t even interested in testing that possibility.
Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City is embraced by teammate Erling Haaland as he leaves the field after sustaining an injury during the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 final match between FC Internazionale and Manchester City FC at Ataturk Olympic Stadium on June 10, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Norwegian striker has been dealing with a foot problem that hasn’t let him train with the rest of his teammates yet. The Belgian star, meanwhile, is in the final stage of his recovery from a hamstring surgery. Doku has also been on the sidelines for the last two weeks with a leg injury.
“Kevin started training yesterday and will train with us tomorrow but it’s been three months so he cannot play in the final, but he is getting better. Erling still cannot train,” Guardiola said following his team’s semifinal win, via Esteemed Kompany.
Martin O'Donnell is a bilingual sports writer fluent in English and Spanish, with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. Since joining Bolavip in February 2021, he has extensively covered soccer, NFL, and NBA, specializing in real-time coverage of major events such as the World Cup, UEFA Champions League finals, and the Super Bowl. Martin’s prior experience includes managing social media for the CONMEBOL Libertadores and Sudamericana in English and reporting on Brazilian football for Sambafoot. At Bolavip, he is known for his meticulous coverage during critical sports seasons—covering trades, playoffs, and finals—and for keeping a close eye on soccer icons Lionel Messi at Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. His attention to detail and ability to capture breaking news have made him a valuable asset to the team.
