Manchester City have named just 21 players for their upcoming defence of the Champions League title.
Pep Guardiola‘s side clinched Europe’s most elite club trophy for the first time in their history in June after a 1-0 win over Italian giants Inter Milan.
Their victory in Istanbul put an end to Guardiola’s and City’s search for a Champions League title, which had evaded the Spaniard since his arrival in Manchester.
City fans will now be hopeful, following last year’s success, that their side can go one step further and secure back-to-back Champions League titles.
However, their hopes might have been dented by City’s depleted Champions League squad, which was revealed on Wednesday afternoon.
Guardiola has named just 21 players – out of a possible 25 – for their defence of Europe’s most prestigious club award.
The likely stars – such as Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne and Ruben Dias – all expectedly made the cut
City’s three summer additions – Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol – have all been included as well.
Interestingly, Guardiola has opted to leave out USA international Zack Steffen in favour of 38-year-old veteran Scott Carson.
Carson picked up his second Champions League winners medal after City won the title in June, following his triumph in the same competition back in 2005.
As noted on the club’s website, UEFA rules state that the List A squad is made up of a maximum of 25 players – with a minimum of eight places reserved exclusively for ‘locally trained players’.
Youngsters, such as Rico Lewis, will not have to be registered on List A (as he is bron after January 2002) and, so, will likely be included in the final squad.
