Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he does not expect striker Erling Haaland to feature against Crystal Palace at the weekend as he continues to manage a foot injury.
Haaland missed last Sunday’s 2-1 win against Luton Town with what manager Pep Guardiola called a “bone tension reaction” in his foot. The 23-year-old then did not travel with the City squad for their Champions League game against Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday, even though Guardiola’s side had already won their group before kick-off.
Speaking at his press conference on Friday, Guardiola said Haaland had received treatment and that a decision would continue to be made “day by day, week by week”.
The visit of Palace is City’s last before they leave for the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia and Guardiola hopes Haaland will be part of the traveling squad for the tournament.
Asked if Haaland was likely to play against Palace, Guardiola said: “I don’t think so.
“He got treatment away. He arrived today and we will see; the doctors will see him.
“Hopefully he can travel to Saudi Arabia after the game and after we see if he is able to play the first game or the second game.”
Asked if he was worried about the injury, Guardiola said: “No, it’s not a structure, it’s just stress. Day by day, week by week, we have to see how he feels.”
City’s first game in the Club World Cup is the semi-final against Mexican side Leon or Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds in Jeddah on December 19, with those two teams facing off in the quarter-finals later on Friday. City will then play in either the final or third-place final, both of which take place in Jeddah on December 22.
As a result, City miss their Premier League match in gameweek 18. They were due to host Brentford on December 21-24 but that game has been postponed, with a rescheduled date yet to be announced. Their next home match comes on December 27 when they face Everton at Goodison Park.
Haaland had started every league game for City before the Luton match, scoring 14 goals in his 15 appearances. Julian Alvarez, who has mainly featured in an advanced midfield role this season, led the line against Luton, while Oscar Bobb played as City’s No.9 in Serbia on Wednesday.
GO DEEPER
Pep Guardiola wants you to remember that winning is difficult… even for City
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