Man City news: Fernandinho and Otamendi suspended for the return leg of Schalke



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Both players received yellow cards for conceding penalties in the first half of Wednesday's Veltins-Arena match.

Manchester City will be without Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi for the second leg of their Champions League match with Schalke.

The two City players received yellow cards in the first leg on Wednesday 16, Wednesday in Gelsenkirchen, and will miss the return leg on 12 March at the Etihad stadium.

Both men were carded for fouls that led to penalties for the home team, Nabil Bentaleb converting both shots on goal to give Schalke a 2-1 lead at halftime.

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In the second half, Otamendi was awarded a second yellow to leave his team to 10 men for the rest of the match.

But City would still go 3-2 in the first leg after scoring goals in the last five minutes of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling.

Sergio Aguero gave a quick lead to City with a shot from Schalke's mistake. This advantage, however, would only last 20 minutes.

While there was 10 minutes left, Otamendi reached out to block a shot by Daniel Caligiuri. After a long delay for VAR, a penalty was inflicted and Bentaleb shot in the lower right corner with his left foot.

The situation was getting worse for City just before half-time, as Fernandinho defeated Schalke defender Salif Sane, who was trying to score on a free-kick.

Once again, the home team was given a penalty and Bentaleb again scored the goal, giving his team a 2-1 lead at halftime.

In the 68th minute, Otamendi hit the back of Guido Burgstaller for his second yellow card of the night, leaving City to 10 men.

But Sane's free kick in the 85th minute against his former team, followed by Sterling's 90th-minute winner, gave City a considerable advantage before the second leg.

The loss of Fernandinho could still be a blow to City because the Brazilian played a vital role for Pep Guardiola's team this season while she was healthy.

Guardiola stressed the importance of the 33-year-old last month when he admitted that City had no other alternative than the titular midfielder.

"The specific qualities of Fernandinho, we can not replace him – his kind of duels, his way back," said the director of the city.

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The Brazilian has made 33 appearances for City this season in all competitions.

Otamendi has been a valuable squad player for City this season, although he fell behind John Stones and Aymeric Laporte in the back row.

The 31-year-old has made 22 appearances for the Guardiola team in all competitions this season.

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