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Manchester City released on Wednesday a list of 21 names that will be part of the Champions League squad for the knockout stages, and the list features some new faces and some losses.
The two big additions to the squad are Gabriel Jesus and Yaya Touré, who have made their presence in the City lineup known in recent weeks and clearly deserve to be part of the squad. It's definitely not a surprise to see both of them make the list. Touré and Jesus will replace Ilkay Gundogan, who is out for the rest of the season after tearing knee ligaments and Kelechi Iheanacho, who is no longer part of the squad.
But worry not! Kelechi can play! While he is not on the main squad, the Nigerian striker is eligible to play in all Champions League matches as a B-list player. The B-list is made of players who have been part of a club for at least two years and are born in 1995 or later, bascially the Academy kids. The same rule applies for players like Angus Gunn and Tosin Adarabioyo, who were part of a few group stage games but were on the B-List.
Registering Iheanacho as a B-List player creates an extra A-List spot, and that's the only reason why that decision was made. Don't worry, this doesn't mean Iheanacho isn't on Pep's plans.
Another important addition to the squad is Vincent Kompany. The captain was registered for the group stage but couldn't play because he was injured, and there was a chance he wouldn't be part of the squad unless he proved his ability to stay fit. After an impressive display on his return in the FA Cup match against Crystal Palace last weekend, he showed Pep Guardiola he can be trusted, so he remains part of the list for the knockouts.
Here is the complete 21-man squad for the remainder of City’s Champions League matches:
Goalkeepers: 1. Claudio Bravo, 13. Willy Caballero
Defenders: 3. Bacary Sagna, 4. Vincent Kompany, 5. Pablo Zabaleta, 11. Aleksandar Kolarov, 22. Gaël Clichy, 24. John Stones, 30. Nicolas Otamendi
Midfielders: 6. Fernando, 7. Raheem Sterling, 15. Jesús Navas, 17. Kevin De Bruyne, 18. Fabian Delph, 19. Leroy Sané, 21. David Silva, 25. Fernandinho
Forwards: 9. Nolito, 10. Sergio Agüero, 33. Gabriel Jesus
City begin their journey in the Champions League knockout stage in three weeks, at home against AS Monaco in the first leg of the Round of 16.