Joe Hart will be back in the Manchester City side for the Champions League clash against Roma tomorrow.
The England goalkeeper was surprisingly omitted for Saturday’s 4-2 victory over Hull, with Willy Caballero retaining the gloves following a midweek appearance in the Capital One Cup.
That raised questions over Hart’s position, with Caballero considered a more credible challenger for the number one shirt than predecessor Costel Pantilimon.
But City boss Manuel Pellegrini was quick to explain it was a straightforward case of squad rotation and later confirmed Hart would be back on duty against the Italians.
Asked directly if the 27-yearold would be returning against Rudi Garcia’s men, the Chilean said: “Yes, yes. He is in a very good moment also.
“It’s a crucial game because Roma won their first match and we lost.
“It will be a very tough group and we cannot drop points here at home. It’s very important for us to win that game.”
Caballero will be expecting to see action again soon, though, having kept a clean sheet in the 7-0 thrashing of Sheffield Wednesday, while he had little chance to keep out either of Hull’s goals – an unstoppable own-goal from Eliaquim Mangala followed by an Abel Hernandez penalty.
And City captain Vincent Kompany underlined the notion that the Argentinian is more than just a willing deputy. “We’re lucky to have two top-class goalkeepers and there is not much in it,” he said.
“I have gained so much playing with Joe and I am gaining a lot playing with Willy. At this level there can’t ever be much between the goalkeepers because it’s a long season and you need everyone.”
Kompany has also backed Eliaquim Mangala to bounce back from a day to forget against Hull. Mangala lived up to his £32 million (Dh190.9m) price tag with a commanding debut against Chelsea last weekend, but scored an own goal and conceded a penalty in City’s eventual 4-2 win.
“It’s part of being a defender. If your children ever choose to play football, sign them up as strikers and then this won’t happen to them,” said the Belgian.
