Haaland Injury Update: Guardiola Speaks Out

On Erling Haaland’s availability against Liverpool on Sunday, Manchester City will decide late. Although Pep Guardiola downplayed the severity of the situation following the game, the striker hobbled off late in the Newcastle victory last weekend with what seemed to be a knee problem.

Haaland, however, remained a question ahead of Liverpool’s trip to the Etihad Stadium because he was an unused substitute in midweek as City fell out of the Champions League following defeat to Real Madrid.

At his pre-match press conference on Friday, Guardiola asked whether Haaland will be fit to meet the Reds: “Don’t know yet. We shall know tomorrow; but, I’m not sure.

“It’s better to have Erling on the pitch; obviously, we don’t have it but naturally we are stronger with Erling on the field.” Regarding John Stones’s fitness, who is on another stay on the sidelines, the update was more alarming.

Starting only six Premier League games this season, the thirty-year-old has suffered another blow after being forced off barely eight minutes at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night.

Stones might today call for surgery, as Manuel Akanji last week found out. Akanji is supposed to miss up to ten weeks following surgery on a thigh ailment.

“He’s injured, a difficult one,’ Guardiola remarked of Stones. “Next hours, days we’ll know whether he needs surgery or not.

Regarding whether Stones will be absent for a protracted period, Guardiola said: “Yeah, like Manu Akanji.”