MANCHESTER: Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland remains a doubt for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Liverpool after sitting out his side’s Champions League exit to Real Madrid.
The Norwegian was named on the bench at the Santiago Bernabeu but did not make an appearance as City were outclassed in a 3-1 defeat on Wednesday to crash out 6-3 on aggregate.
“Tomorrow we will know,” said Guardiola at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
The January signing of Omar Marmoush at least means Guardiola does have a back-up option should Haaland fail to recover in time to face the league leaders, but Guardiola could not hide the importance of his 27-goal star striker.
“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.
But Arne Slot has seamlessly succeeded Klopp to have the Reds on course for the title in his first season in charge.
“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 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 hold an eight-point lead over Arsenal, who have a game in hand and are favorites to cut the gap to five when they host West Ham on Saturday.
After four consecutive title triumphs, City’s defense of their crown is realistically over as they are 17 points adrift of Liverpool in fourth.
Injuries have played a major role in City’s decline.
John Stones is set for another couple of months on the sidelines after limping off with a thigh tear early on against Madrid, while Rodri and Manuel Akanji may also not play again this season.
Guardiola pointed to a brutal schedule as the cause and pointed out that Arsenal, Real Madrid and Tottenham are among other clubs battling a number of serious muscle injuries this season.
City’s season could stretch into mid-July due to their participation in the Club World Cup, with the next Premier League season starting barely a month later.
Guardiola said he is already fearing a repeat situation next season that could hinder City’s hopes of bouncing back and competing for major honors.
“Of course, I’m concerned. So, next season, everybody will be fit? I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he added.
“We have already a lot of players that cannot sustain what we have in the past. Week in, week out, playing a dozen different competitions, travels. Without the problems.
“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.”
Haaland a doubt for Man City showdown with ‘exceptional’ Liverpool
https://arab.news/m8gpe
Haaland a doubt for Man City showdown with ‘exceptional’ Liverpool
- “Tomorrow we will know,” said Guardiola at his pre-match press conference
- The January signing of Omar Marmoush at least means Guardiola does have a back-up option
Morocco rally to defeat Jordan in dramatic Arab Cup final
- Earlier in the day, the third-place match between Saudi Arabia and the UAE was suspended indefinitely due to adverse weather conditions
DOHA: Abderrazzaq Hamed Allah had the final say as Morocco clinched the Arab Cup title with a dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory over Jordan in a thrilling final at a sold-out Lusail Stadium on Thursday.
In a pulsating contest that echoed the 2022 World Cup final at the same venue, Morocco twice came from behind to deny Jordan a first Arab Cup crown and lift the trophy in spectacular fashion.
Oussama Tannane put the Atlas Lions ahead with a stunning long-range strike early on, capitalising on a turnover inside the Moroccan half before spotting goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila off his line and sending a dipping effort into the net.
Jordan, however, produced a remarkable response in the second half through tournament top scorer Ali Olwan.
The forward leveled just three minutes after the restart, nodding home from close range following a quickly taken corner by Mohannad Abu Taha.
Midway through the half, Jordan were awarded a penalty after Achraf El-Mahdioui was adjudged to have handled Mahmoud Al-Mardi’s effort inside the area.
Olwan calmly converted straight down the middle to give the Jordanians a 2-1 lead and put them on the brink of glory.
Morocco pressed relentlessly in search of an equalizer and were rewarded two minutes from time when a corner fell kindly to Hamed Allah, who finished from close range after his initial effort rebounded off the post.
The closing moments of normal time were filled with drama, as Morocco had a penalty appeal waved away before Olwan squandered a one-on-one opportunity on the counter.
Hamed Allah ensured there would be no further twists, sealing the title in the 100th minute of extra time with a close-range volley to spark celebrations among the Moroccan faithful and cap a perfect build-up to the next summer’s World Cup.
Earlier in the day, the third-place match between Saudi Arabia and the UAE was suspended indefinitely due to adverse weather conditions, with FIFA confirming that a decision on third place will be taken by the relevant committee in due course.
