Haaland among five Manchester City players rested for Brighton cup tie
Geronimo Rulli will make his second appearance for City as the club prepares for two home matches against Brighton in four days.
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has ruled Erling Haaland and four teammates out of the home EFL Cup fourth-round match against Brighton & Hove Albion, saying they have been given time off rather than sidelined by injuries.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, Elliot Anderson, Josko Gvardiol and captain Ruben Dias will also sit out the tie. Maresca said the five players received three days off after City's 2-1 Premier League loss at Aston Villa. He had previously said the crowded schedule required rest for players, particularly those also involved in international football.
Haaland scored against Villa after recovering from a foot knock, taking his tally to 13 goals in 11 appearances across all competitions. He has also scored seven goals in his past seven meetings with Brighton.
Maresca confirmed that Geronimo Rulli will replace Donnarumma in goal. The summer signing's only previous City appearance came in the third round, when he kept Norwich City scoreless in a 5-0 win. Academy forward Floyd Samba, 17, scored twice on his full debut in that match and could start again with Haaland absent.
City will host Brighton again in the Premier League, with the two fixtures falling within four days. Maresca said the short gap would require lineup changes and highlighted Brighton's attacking threat. Brighton reached the fourth round by beating Manchester United 3-2 but lost their most recent league match 2-0 at Liverpool.
