Full squad list: Four players absent while just 19 Man City players train ahead of Champions League clash at Red Star Belgrade

Manchester City completed their preparations for the opening match of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage when they trained at the City Football Academy on Monday.

The reigning European champions – who achieved their first success in Europe’s top club competition – face Serbian side Red Star Belgrade at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night when they want regained the crown for the first time.

City enter the European competition on the back of a Champions League final win over Inter and a UEFA Super Cup victory over Sevilla last month, and will be brimming with confidence ahead of this clash week following recent results in the Premier League.

On Saturday afternoon, Manchester City maintained their 100% winning start to the season in England’s top flight after overcoming David Moyes’s West Ham side 1-3 at the London Stadium. The start of the match was delayed.

Red Star Belgrade at home is the first of six UEFA Champions League group stage matches this season, as Manchester City will also face RB Leipzig and BSC Young Boys at home and away ‘in addition to home.

In the final training session before Tuesday night’s match at the Etihad Stadium, Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City team made final preparations ahead of the away trip to the Serbian club

Here is the list A full lineup of players were spotted at the City Football Academy on Monday afternoon!

19-man senior Manchester City training squad ahead of Red Star Belgrade

Goalkeepers: Ederson, Ortega Moreno, Carson.

Defenders: Walker, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Ake, Gomez.

Midfielders: Rodri, Phillips, Nunes, Bernardo.

Forwards: Alvarez, Bobb, Doku, Foden, Haaland

Note: A number of Manchester City academy players took part in the team’s first training session, bringing their number to around 23.

Pep Guardiola confirmed during the pre-match press conference that Mateo Kovacic and Jack Grealish will definitely be absent on Tuesday night. in the match against the Serbian club, as both players continue to recover from their respective muscle problems.

The City Manager told City Football Academy media: “They are improving, not for tomorrow. Hopefully Nottingham (Forest) or the next matches. Look how much better we would be without them.We need him soon, we need Jack (Grealish) to compete with Jeremy (Doku).

“Difficult to stay for a long time. It happens, we accept it.”

John Stones remained absent from the first-team training session on Monday afternoon, as he continues to recover from his own injury problem, while Kevin De Bruyne continues to be sidelined.