Pep Guardiola has one more chance to get Man City plan B right before Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola's update on Kevin De Bruyne didn't sound promising on Tuesday and it would be a surprise if the Belgian was available for Manchester City against West Ham.

That might mean a second successive game with Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland together from the start for the Blues, which would be the first time that has happened.

It would actually mean they've started three of the last four games together and at Fulham on Sunday Guardiola admitted he might have to find a way to squeeze them into the team alongside De Bruyne as well.

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"He helped me a lot to understand that maybe in the future I have to adjust something to make them both, and Kevin, to make them play," Guardiola said at Craven Cottage.

"Because especially in tight games with five in the back to have them involved there it is so important for us, really really important for us. It’s not just the goal and the penalty, but it is the intensity in the pressure, it is keeping the ball, it is the vision because he is an incredible, exceptional player, not just scoring goals."

Fielding Alvarez and Haaland as a partnership, or even with De Bruyne, might be something that is required at some point across two legs against Real Madrid. Giving them another substantial run out against West Ham might be beneficial for that Champions League semi-final.

Talking of Haaland, he needs one more goal to stand alone as the Premier League's greatest goalscorer in a single season, having struck for the 34th time on Sunday.

He's now level with Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, although they hit the milestone in 42-game seasons. Haaland looks set to annihilate their record given there are still