Pep Guardiola gave Erling Haaland the night off against Newcastle United to help the striker rediscover his top speed before Manchester City's crucial Champions League trip to Real Madrid. The Norwegian forward missed City's 3-1 FA Cup win at St James' Park as the club opted to keep him in Manchester for recovery training.

Haaland has been working his way back from an injury that forced him to miss City's 1-0 win over Leeds United on Feb 28. Guardiola explained the decision, saying Haaland struggles to regain his 'real pace' after injury layoffs. The striker is expected to travel with the squad to Madrid for Tuesday's last-16 first leg at the Bernabeu.

City head to Spain on an 11-game unbeaten run since their January defeat to Bodo/Glimt. Guardiola's squad has been boosted by the returns of Jérémy Doku, Savinho, Nico González, John Stones and Nathan Aké, plus the eligibility of January signings Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guéhi. The manager emphasized the importance of having key players available for decisive moments in the season.