Guardiola Hopeful Haaland Will Be Fit For Burnley Clash

Pep Guardiola is optimistic that Erling Haaland will recover swiftly from the back injury that forced him off during the 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

Haaland was unexpectedly substituted after 76 minutes at the Emirates, with Guardiola clarifying afterwards that the Norway forward requested to be taken off due to back pain.

The striker is likely to miss the trip to Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday; however, Guardiola believes the 25-year-old could return for Burnley’s visit to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

“Monday he didn’t train, and I didn’t see him or the rest of the players today,” Guardiola mentioned at his news conference on Tuesday. “Hopefully, he can play at the weekend. It’s been a demanding week, especially the last game, and sometimes players encounter problems. I think he will be fine for the weekend; I hope so.”

Guardiola has named the same starting XI for City’s last three matches against Manchester United, Napoli, and Arsenal but confirmed he will make changes for the Huddersfield fixture, with Haaland not being the only big name likely to sit out.

“It won’t be the same starting XI as in the last three games,” Guardiola said. “The only concern for the Carabao Cup is that we respect this competition, but we want to arrive without injuries, and we currently have some injuries.”