The 24-hour meal plan for Manchester City's players ahead of the Champions League final showdown with Inter Milan has been revealed.
Pep Guardiola's side are chasing a historic treble win after lifting both the Premier League and FA Cup in a stunning season.
European football's most precious prize has evaded them thus far but the Blues are well-placed to finally complete the set and write their name in folklore.
Preparation for the Istanbul showpiece is of course meticulous and the food side of things are being handled by the club's head performance chef Morgan Steele and performance nutritionist Tom Parry, with the help of Dr Ian Rollo, the principal scientist at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI).
Advert
Gatorade, a long-term partner of the Premier League champions, provides the club with access to its elite portfolio of sports fuel products, equipment, and cutting-edge science through the GSSI) to ensure they continue to perform at absurdly high levels.
While ultimately Saturday night's outcome is down to the work done on the pitch, the food groups taken in by City's stars has to be bang on the money.
On Friday night, high-fibre vegetables slowly make way for more carbohydrate-heavy meals but it's not uncommon for the players to have their usual tucker.
Advert
However, to nobody's surprise, Jack Grealish's mammoth chinese order or Erling Haaland's go-to liver, are not on the menu.
Head performance chef Morgan Steele explained: “Most options will be rice, pasta or noodle based, but most players head straight for the live cooking station to have their standard Match Day -1 meal made fresh e.g. [Kevin] De Bruyne spaghetti with light homemade pesto and a small amount of diced tomato, peppers and chicken breast.”
On the morning of the final, matchday breakfast options include eggs made to order with selection of freshly baked breads, porridge, overnight oats, homemade granola, with banana bread and energy balls also available.
Advert
Typically, players will also have a bowl of fruit with yoghurt and honey, as well as fruit juices and smoothies.
This is when the hydration really starts and City have introduced increased urine testing pre-training, while they regularly use Gx Sweat Patches, a unique Gatorade technology which tells every individual player how much fluid they need to take on in order to stay hydrated.
“Hydration is key to performance, "GSSI’s principle scientist Ian Rollo commented.
"How much players drink and when, is something we are really focused on ahead of any big match. Even a 2% loss of body weight through sweat can put players at a disadvantage.
Advert
“Dehydration can really diminish energy and impair performance, which is why each player has access to Gatorade drinks throughout the match.
"This guarantees the players are appropriately fuelled, whilst being bespoke to their individual plans. These products are packed with essential carbohydrates, energy-boosting elements and vital fluids and electrolytes to restore what is lost."
Kick-off at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium is not until 10pm local time but City will have a further two meals on matchday - one at 2pm and another at 6:30pm.
Advert
It's buffet-style and reduced-fat pasta and rice dishes such as spaghetti pomodoro and farfalle with homemade low-fat pesto are on the cards.
In addition, there are lean-protein options such as skinless chicken fillets and fresh white fish, with the carbs coming from sides like roast potatoes and sweetcorn fritters.
Anyone feeling a little peckish after that will still have a few bits and bobs to get stuck into.
Head of nutrition Tom Parry, added: “At pre-match (3.5 hours before kick-off) the squad will have already had two meals, so we’ll also be offering the players smaller volume options such as banana bread, low-fat cheese toasties, bruschetta and rice pudding”.
City are indeed eating good but you get the sense they are hungrier than ever for Champions League glory.
Topics: Manchester City, Inter Milan, Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland
Josh Lawless