will haaland play tomorrow?
MANCHESTER — Manchester City star Erling Haaland was kept out of City’s huge win against Liverpool (Watch full match replay online via Peacock Premium) but he is now back fit.
Haaland left the Norway squad during the international break after suffering a groin injury during City’s FA Cup win against Burnley.
Speaking ahead of their trip to Southampton on Saturday (Watch live, 12:30pm ET on NBC and online via Peacock Premium), City boss Pep Guardiola revealed the Premier League’s top goal scorer is back fit and available.
ProSoccerTalk’s Joe Prince-Wright was on-site at the Etihad Stadium and it was announced that Haaland was not in the Manchester City matchday squad as he did not get off the team bus, but he did attend the match in the stands.
Haaland, 22, joined up with Norway for their EURO 2024 qualifiers but has been sent back to Manchester City for treatment. That meant he went to Marbella and then Barcelona in Spain for specialist treatment and he is now back in Manchester recovering from the groin injury he picked up against Burnley.
The Norwegian striker has been in stunning form in recent weeks, scoring nine goals in his last three games in all competitions for City (including five against RB Leipzig in the Champions League and a hat trick against Burnley in the FA Cup) before the break.
He has scored 42 (yes, forty two) goals in all competitions for Man City this season.
An injury to Erling Haaland is the last thing City wanted before a pivotal final few months of the season as they chase the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble but it seems like they won’t push him too hard.
Erling Haaland was photographed training with City ahead of their trip to Southampton and Guardiola confirmed he is available.
That sound you can hear is Premier League defenders once again shuddering with fear.
Haaland could return for the trip to Southampton on Apr. 8, but Pep Guardiola may choose to rest him from the start and bring him on as a sub. Why? They have a massive UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Bayern Munich on Apr. 11.
Haaland is enjoying a sensational first season in English football, following his summer switch from Borussia Dortmund, with 28 Premier League goals already for Pep Guardiola's team.
However, the 22-year-old withdrew from Norway's Euro 2024 qualifying squad during the international window due to an ongoing groin issue, which also forced him to miss City's first training session back in Manchester.
The setback is a major concern for Guardiola's plans for the season run-in with City still in the running for a potential Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble in 2022/23.
MORE: Man City vs Liverpool live score, updates, highlights, lineups and result from Premier League match
Haaland was not in the City squad to face Jurgen Klopp's side, with Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez and Jack Grealish lining up across the front three for City.
Haaland's fitness was the first question in Guardiola's pre-game press conference with the Catalan boss hinting at a possible gamble over his top scorer.
"Erling is in recovery. We'll train and see how he feels," Guardiola said.
"The doctors and, especially, the player will see how he feels. Life is risks. At this stage we have to take it."
Despite playing second-fiddle to Haaland, Argentina World Cup winner Alvarez has also enjoyed an impressive debut season at City, scoring 12 times in all competitions.
Following confirmation of Haaland's withdrawal from Stale Solbakken's squad during their training camp in Marbella, Haaland's father, Alf Inge, confirmed his son went to a hospital in Barcelona for treatment under a "partnership" City have with the facility.
He then travelled from Catalonia to spend time recovering in Marbella with a physiotherapist from the Premier League club.
Speaking to Norwegian station TV2, Haaland Sr later cast doubt on whether Europe's outright top scorer this season will be available to face Liverpool: "Firstly, I'm not a doctor and secondly, I think it's 'touch and go', yes.
"You can't just go two weeks without training and then jump into a fight. There must be a progression. They can gamble on it, but if he doesn't get proper training with the team, he won't play.
"It's about how he responds to treatment in the next few days. He needs lots of care and 'knuckling'. There are many sprints [in a game] and there is a lot [of him] to move."
Details over the specifics of the groin injury have not been confirmed by City or Norway, with the latter stating Haaland was suffering from 'some pain in his groin after the match against Burnley (March 18)'.
If Haaland's injury is classified as a groin strain, the window for recovery could stretch between four weeks and three months, but the severity of the issue is rumoured to be towards the lower end of that scale.
Guardiola's update will boost City confidence that Haaland's injury is not as bad as first feared with an international withdrawal not always a sign of serious injury.
Due to City's packed schedule in the final weeks of the campaign, Guardiola will be cautious over his No.9's recovery, with the visit of Bayern Munich in a Champions League quarter-final first leg on April 11 set as an urgent date in the diary. Prior to that game, City visit relegation-threatened Southampton in the Premier League.
Guardiola is expected to give Haaland a break at some point in April to allow the injury to settle, and he will manage his game time accordingly.
City face a season-defining week at the end of the month, with a second leg away at Bayern, followed by an FA Cup semi-final trip to Wembley to face Sheffield United, and a potential Premier League title decider at home to Arsenal, in the space of seven busy days.
The City striker, who has 42 goals this season including 28 in the Premier League, missed last week’s 4-1 victory over Liverpool as well as Norway’s two European Championship qualifers during the international break.
But Guardiola confirmed Haaland will be in the squad for the 17:30 (UK) kick-off at St Mary’s as we aim to extend our Premier League winning streak to five games and close the gap on leaders Arsenal who play on Sunday.
“He trained the last two days really good, he will be ready,” Guardiola said in his pre-match news conference.
Asked if he needed minutes to be considered for the Champions League quarter-final with Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, the boss added: “Bayern is our last thoughts it's Southampton - the Premier League is every day, every week. Depends on that.”
Guardiola did not report any other injuries ahead of the game at St Mary’s although Phil Foden also missed the win over Liverpool after surgery following acute appendicitis.
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Southampton are currently bottom of the Premier League but Guardiola is not expecting an easy game on the South Coast.
St Mary’s was where we secured a 100th point of the 2017/18 but it has been a difficult venue during Guardiola’s time with City knocked out of the Carabao Cup earlier in the campaign, while we were held to a 1-1 draw last season.
Since then Ruben Selles has taken over as coach and Guardiola believes that every side in the Premier League has something to play for.
“Already, they’ve played a few games with the manager so the patterns are quite clear,” he said.
“Now every team is playing for something, it’s the same importance to fight for the Premier League as it is to stay in the Premier League.
"That’s why every game has its own characteristics and you have to be ready, because Southampton have always been so tough.
“Since the year we got 100 points in the 94th minute, the game we won they were much, much better than us.
"After the games we play really good, we draw. Always it has been a tough tough game and I have a feeling tomorrow won’t be an exception.”
Haaland missed last weekend's 4-1 home win over Liverpool with a groin injury, but the 22-year-old returned to training earlier this week and Guardiola confirmed his availability for the trip to St Mary's Stadium.
"Erling trained the last two days, really good," the Spaniard said. "He will be ready."
And Guardiola said he was not giving any thought to managing Haaland's minutes ahead of next week's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich.
"Bayern Munich is the last thought," he added. "It's Southampton. The Premier League is every day, every week."
Haaland has scored 42 goals in 37 games in all competitions this season for City, including six hat-tricks, while the Norwegian also leads the Premier League Golden Boot race on 28 goals, six ahead of Tottenham's Harry Kane.
Guardiola has insisted even he is not safe from the sack as the demands at Premier League clubs become ever greater.
A record 12 managers have been shown the door in the top flight this season - not counting Graham Potter's decision to leave Brighton for Chelsea - and Guardiola believes the culture in England has changed.
"The results are important but it's if the plan works," Guardiola said. "In this country, when I was younger, they always had the tradition to keep managers. Today, with different owners and a lot of pressure and a lot of investment... in one side, I understand.
"Everyone has a lot of pressure. The manager, the board. People believe in changing things because they believe they can be better. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. All the managers know. If it doesn't happen, you always take a risk."
Asked if he had managed to avoid ever being sacked by knowing the right moment to leave a club, Guardiola said: "I'll tell you a secret: we win games. If we didn't win games, I would be sacked. I'm not sacked because we've won a lot of games during these years."
The trip to Southampton is another opportunity to put pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal, who must wait until Sunday for their away match at Liverpool, live on Sky Sports.
Guardiola was clear about the stakes, but played down any advantage in going first.
"If we drop points, Arsenal will be champions in advance," he said. "If we win, we could be champions on the last day. We are used to it, so it's not a problem.
"I don't see an advantage (in playing first). Sometimes when we've made a title race with Liverpool we've been before or later."
Even with the Saints bottom of the league, Guardiola said he and City would not underestimate the challenge.
"Now every team is playing for something, it's the same important fight for the Premier League," he said. "Every game has its own characteristics and you have to be ready, Southampton have always been so tough.
"Since the year we got 100 points in the 94th minute, the game we won they were much better than us. Always it's been a tough, tough game. Tomorrow won't be an exception."
Saturday: Southampton (A) - Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports
Tuesday: Bayern Munich (H) - Champions League, kick-off 8pm
April 15: Leicester (H) - Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports
April 19: Bayern Munich (A) - Champions League, kick-off 8pm
April 22: Sheffield United (N) - FA Cup, kick-off 4.45pm
April 26: Arsenal (H) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm
April 30: Fulham (A) - Premier League, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports
May 3: West Ham (H) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 7: Leeds United (H) - Premier League, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports
May 14: Everton (A) - Premier League, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports
May 20: Chelsea (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
