Pep Guardiola has revealed he is unsure whether Erling Haaland will be back in time to face Liverpool this weekend.
The Manchester City forward suffered a knee injury in last weekend’s win over Newcastle United and was an unused substitute in Wednesday’s Champions League defeat against Real Madrid.
Not close enough," Guardiola said before the Madrid game.” [He] trained a little bit yesterday but spoke this morning and said he doesn't feel good so we choose another one.”
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Asked again about Haaland’s fitness before Sunday’s clash against Liverpool, the City boss replied: “I don't know yet. Tomorrow we'll know it, I don't know yet. Yeah, maybe [I'm hopeful], but I don't know because we don't train today, until tomorrow he will test.”
If Haaland is out, Omar Marmoush will likely start in the no.9 role and come up against his international team-mate Mohamed Salah. Asked if he sees any similarities between the Egyptians, Guardiola said: “Omar is coming here to prove himself. Omar has done unbelievably in Germany and his performance will dictate the levels he has.”
Guardiola also confirmed that John Stones might need surgery after he came off with yet another injury at the Bernabeu and will be out for a 'long time'. “He's injured, a difficult one. Next hours, days we'll know if he needs surgery or not.
Kevin De Bruyne didn’t play in that 3-0 loss in the Spanish capital and Guardiola said the decision was not based on injury.
