A flat showing away at Leeds underlined why supporters have been keen to see Erling Haaland back in the Manchester City front line. Haaland was left out for the trip to Elland Road and watched from the sidelines as Antoine Semenyo netted the only goal of an uncomfortable 1–0 victory.

Nottingham Forest arrive on Wednesday and the central question among fans is simple: will Haaland play? His fitness and selection look set to dominate Pep Guardiola’s pre-match press conference on Tuesday. Until then, the manager’s remarks after the Leeds game are the clearest public indication of the striker’s status.

Asked specifically whether Haaland would be back in time to face Forest, Guardiola’s response on Saturday gave nothing away. “I don’t have any answer right now,” he insisted. “We have four days before Nottingham Forest and after, three days to the FA Cup at Newcastle.” He did, however, offer some reassurance by describing the problem as “not a big issue.”

Guardiola’s approach to covering for Haaland against Leeds surprised some supporters. Omar Marmoush was used as part of the attacking setup. The expensive Egyptian is the only other natural striker in the squad and has been waiting for opportunities in attack, having been forced into accepting the same midfield role occupied by his predecessor, Julián Alvarez, as it quickly became clear there is no displacing a healthy Haaland in the squad.

With minutes and results both at a premium, City must balance the immediate need to secure points with the management of Haaland’s condition across a busy schedule. Guardiola’s comments leave room for optimism, but they also mean definitive confirmation of Haaland’s involvement will have to wait until closer to kick-off.

Pep Guardiola has urged UEFA to revisit Champions League knockout rules after Manchester City were paired with Real Madrid in the round of 16. City have now drawn Madrid again weeks after their most recent meeting, a 2–1 league victory in December.

Guardiola said he wants to prevent early repeat fixtures that can come from teams who already met in the competition’s opening phase. “Yes, it is a little bit weird [to face Madrid again],” he said.

The manager pointed to the timing of the group stage finish as part of the issue, noting that the last game of the group stage—Real Madrid vs. Benfica—became the first draw. He argued that the current sequence made the outcome appear unusual and suggested UEFA should consider changes to stop teams who met in the first stage from meeting early in the knockouts.

City face a daunting path through the knockout stages. Their portion of the bracket includes Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Galatasaray and Atalanta alongside Real Madrid, making the route to the final especially demanding on paper.

Arsenal avoided that side of the draw and were paired with Bayer Leverkusen for the next round. Mikel Arteta’s team would face Bodø/Glimt or Sporting CP in the quarterfinals, with one of Barcelona, Newcastle United, Atlético Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur waiting in the semifinals.

Despite the apparent imbalance, Guardiola dismissed the notion that Arsenal have an easier route. “ [It] would be so disrespectful [to], for example, Newcastle, Barcelona, top teams, Atlético Madrid or Spurs,” he said. “So I’m not a fan of that [saying it’s the easier half of the draw].”

The Premier League has warned supporters that matches involving Arsenal and Manchester City in March may need to be moved again after UEFA declined to provide firm scheduling for the Champions League knockout stage. The top flight told fans on Tuesday that these two fixtures “are subject to change.”

UEFA are not compelled to announce any dates or times for their matches until after Friday’s draw, but the Premier League added: “Unfortunately, UEFA has not been able to provide any guarantees on its scheduling ahead of the draw. As a result, the Premier League now faces the possibility of re-scheduling its fixtures at even shorter notice, at the inconvenience of supporters and clubs. The Premier League will continue its regular dialogue with UEFA over fixture scheduling.”

Calendar adjustments are already being mapped. BBC Sport’s Dale Johnson has reported that Arsenal’s home match with Everton looks set to move from Sunday, March 15 to Saturday, March 14. That stems from Liverpool hosting Tottenham on Sunday, March 15, a fixture described as the marquee game of the weekend which cannot be moved. Liverpool and Spurs are therefore expected to play their Champions League second legs on Wednesday, March 18, which forces Arsenal’s European second leg onto Tuesday, March 17 and the Everton game onto Saturday, March 14.

Manchester City face a similar timing squeeze. City can play West Ham at lunchtime on Saturday, March 14 only if their Champions League first leg is placed on Tuesday, March 10. If UEFA puts City in the Wednesday slot broadcasters will seek an even split of Premier League teams across both midweek dates and City’s trip to West Ham would likely be shifted to the evening 8 p.m. window.

Pep Guardiola has previously complained about congested continental schedules: “Always they put the toughest schedules for the European teams in the important stages,” and “I’m not complaining because we had incredible success dealing with this calendar.” He also said: “The broadcasters decide. There are leagues that play on the Friday before the Champions League. They don’t ask me when it’s better to play to have one more day. It has always been like that. It’s no surprise when I see the calendar. It is what it is. Here, the Premier League is much more important than the other competitions.”

Fixture notes reproduced from published schedules show Arsenal and City with FA Cup and predicted Champions League dates before the rearranged league ties in mid-March.