Manchester City Faces Unexpected Travel Delays Ahead of Champions League Showdown with Sporting CP
Manchester City’s journey to Lisbon for their Champions League clash against Sporting CP hit a roadblock on Monday evening as travel delays impacted their plans. The Premier League champions, gearing up for their third consecutive away game, are eager for a turnaround after back-to-back defeats in the Carabao Cup and Premier League.
City’s away stretch began with a 2-1 loss to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup last week, followed by the same scoreline against Bournemouth on Saturday. However, their last Champions League outing was a resounding success, with a 5-0 victory over Sparta Prague at the Etihad, where Erling Haaland netted a brace.
As City aimed to reset and refocus for their face-off with Ruben Amorim’s Sporting CP, their travel was hampered by severe weather. According to Simon Bajkowski the stormy conditions around Lisbon delayed City’s arrival, pushing back their media duties at Estádio José Alvalade by about an hour. Heavy rain over Lisbon on Monday forced City’s flight to land later than expected, adjusting the original 7:10 p.m. schedule for Pep Guardiola and Bernardo Silva’s press conference.
The 22-man squad aboard City’s flight includes players recently back from injury, though the roster remains unchanged from their trip to Bournemouth. Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, Kevin De Bruyne, Savinho, and Jeremy Doku are all present. However, five players remain sidelined due to injury, including Ruben Dias, John Stones, and Jack Grealish, who are expected back after the international break, along with Rodri and Oscar Bobb.
