After missing his team’s Champions League defeat to Real Madrid, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland is still doubtful for Sunday’s Premier League game against Liverpool.
The Norwegian was chosen for the Santiago Bernabeu but did not play as City, who were defeated 3-1 on Wednesday to fall to 6-3 on aggregate, were outclassed.
“Tomorrow we will know”, said Guardiola at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
Guardiola does now have a backup option should Haaland not make a full recovery before the league leaders, thanks to the signing of Omar Marmoush in January.
“It’s better to have Erling on the pitch than not”, he added. “Of course with Erling we are stronger”.
The battle for supremacy between Guardiola’s City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool marked an era in the Premier League.
However, in his first season in charge, Arne Slot succedes to Klopp to ensure that the Reds are on course to win the title.
“For me it’s an exceptional team. I have said many times, they have been the biggest rival in my tenure here”, said Guardiola.
“Arsenal has been involved in this capacity for a while, but I couldn’t have imagined that Liverpool would be in a position like that.”
Arsenal have a game in hand and are the favorites to close the gap at five with a game against West Ham on Saturday, while Liverpool are eight points clear of them.
City’s reign as champions of the title is almost over, with Liverpool currently 17 points adrift in fourth place.
Injuries have played a major role in City’s decline.
Rodri and Manuel Akanji may not play again this season, while John Stones is expected to spend another few months on the sidelines after limping off against Madrid early in the season.
Guardiola cited a stringent schedule as the culprit, and cited Tottenham, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and other teams that have been dealing with a number of severe muscle injuries this year.
Due to their participation in the Club World Cup, City’s season could get longer, with only one more Premier League season beginning one month later.
Guardiola expressed concern about a repeat situation in the upcoming season that might undermine City’s ability to bounce back and compete for major titles.
“Of course, I’m concerned. So, next season, everybody will be fit? I don’t know what’s going to happen”, he added.
“We already have a lot of players who can’t sustain what we have in the past,” he said. Week in, week out, playing a dozen different competitions, travels. Without the problems.
” More than 50 games, it’s too much for the players. The human body cannot support it without a medical issue because it is too much.
Source: Channels TV
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