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Sergio Agüero Update: Striker set to miss Lyon clash

By J.C. Gonzalez

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JUNE 22: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City comes off the pitch injured as he speaks with Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Burnley FC at Etihad Stadium on June 22, 2020 in Manchester, England. Football stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venus resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JUNE 22: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City comes off the pitch injured as he speaks with Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Burnley FC at Etihad Stadium on June 22, 2020 in Manchester, England. Football stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venus resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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Despite fleeting hopes that star Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero could be fit in time to face Real Madrid, it has been confirmed that he will not be ready for the quarterfinal stage against Olympique Lyon either.

As Sergio Agüero continues to recover from knee surgery, his potential return lingers over Manchester City’s Champions League campaign in Lisbon. With their next fixture coming on Aug. 15 in Lisbon, there was hope that their star Argentinian striker would be fit in time for the match after reports that he could even feature in the round of 16 against Real Madrid, but neither of these came to fruition.

At 32 years of age, it is best for City and their club legend to proceed with caution, especially given the shortened nature of the summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic and upcoming Premier League season in just over a month’s time. Gabriel Jesus has stepped up on European football’s biggest stage in Agüero’s absence, scoring and assisting in City’s win over Los Blancos yesterday to book their place in the Champions League quarterfinals.

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Given the fever pace of this year’s tournament and the need to return to full fitness, it would not surprise me if Agüero did not feature at all, and given Jesus’ impeccable form at the moment, it would be quite the task to unseat the Brazilian. However, with everything Agüero has given the club during his time in Manchester, it would be hard to fathom a scenario where at full fitness he does not get the opportunity to start a potential Champions League final, the culmination of a brilliant career in England.

City will be massive favorites heading into their quarterfinal tie, but given the one-legged nature of the matches and the threat Lyon pose in attack with players such as Memphis Depay, they must be wary. Should they advance, the winner of Bayern Munich and Barcelona will await the Citizens, and Agüero’s status will surely once again be a massive point of discussion heading into City’s second-ever semifinal appearance in Europe’s elite club competition. For now, however, the club must move on without their star man.

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