Why João Cancelo is allowed to play against Manchester City

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Can João Cancelo play against Man City? Many have asked after the Citizens were drawn against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.

Pep Guardiola faces his old side on Tuesday 11th April in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final at the Etihad Stadium, with the second leg taking place on Tuesday 18th April inside the Allianz Arena.

The Spaniard also comes up against Cancelo, who he loaned to Bayern Munich in January to the surprise of many.

So, can Cancelo play against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League? Let’s take a look…

Can João Cancelo play against Man City?

Yes – Cancelo is allowed to play against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.

Premier League rules state that a loanee cannot face his parent side if they are on loan at another Premier League outfit, although the rules differ when it comes to European competition.

The UEFA Champions League has already witnessed examples of this scenario in the past.

Philippe Coutinho played against Barcelona while on loan at Bayern Munich from the Spanish giants in August 2020 as the German side won 8-2 in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final.

Remarkably, the Brazil international scored two goals and also provided one assist.

Bayern Munich have also benefitted from this situation on two other occasions.

Kingsley Coman scored for Bayern Munich against his parent club Juventus at the Round of 16 stage back in the 2015/16 campaign.

The Bavarians again benefitted from the loan system when James Rodriguez – borrowed from Real Madrid in the 2017/18 campaign – scored against Los Blancos inside the Santiago Bernabeu.

Why did Man City loan João Cancelo?

Many have also asked why Guardiola sent one of the best players in the Premier League on loan to Bayern Munich.

The Guardian believe Guardiola was disappointed with Cancelo’s attitude after he saw his playing time for Manchester City decrease amid the emergence of Rico Lewis.

The Spaniard decided it was best to loan the Portugal international out as a result of his unwillingness to accept a reduced role.

Bayern Munich were beneficiaries of the situation, and the Bundesliga giants have an option to buy Cancelo on a permanent basis for £61.6m at the end of the season.