Haaland doubtful for Man City’s Premier League clash with Liverpool

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed that Erling Haaland remains a doubt for Sunday’s crucial Premier League clash against Liverpool after missing their Champions League exit to Real Madrid.

Haaland was on the bench at the Santiago Bernabeu but did not feature as City were defeated 3-1, crashing out 6-3 on aggregate.

“Tomorrow we will know,” Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference on Friday. “It’s better to have Erling on the pitch than not. Of course, with Haaland, we are stronger.”

While January signing Omar Marmoush provides a backup option, Guardiola emphasized Haaland’s importance.

Guardiola also spoke about Liverpool’s impressive form under Arne Slot, acknowledging their status as City’s biggest rival during his tenure.

“For me, it’s an exceptional team. I have said many times, that they have been the biggest rival in my tenure here,” he said. “Arsenal right now in the last years have been involved as well, but I could not expect differently that Liverpool (would) be in the position that they are.”

Liverpool currently holds an eight-point lead over Arsenal, while City trails by 17 points, effectively ending their title defence.

Guardiola attributed City’s decline to injuries and a demanding schedule. John Stones is out for several months, and Rodri and Manuel Akanji may also miss the rest of the season.

He expressed concern about the impact of the congested schedule on players, citing similar injury issues at other top clubs.

“More than 50 games, it’s too much for the players. It’s too much for the human being, the body cannot sustain without a medical issue.

“And we arrived at 65, 70 games and, at the end, look what happened. It’s not just Man City. It’s all the clubs.”

He also expressed concern for next season, due to the Club World Cup stretching their season into mid-July.