Pep Guardiola, the Spanish manager of English club Manchester City, cast doubts on Friday regarding the readiness of his Norwegian striker Erling Haaland to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup. Guardiola suggested the possible absence of the “Citizens” top scorer in Saturday’s Premier League clash against Crystal Palace.
The City sharpshooter, with 19 goals this season, missed his team’s previous 2-1 victory over Luton Town last Sunday, as well as their 3-2 win against Serbia’s Red Star Belgrade this past Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League. Haaland is suffering from a foot injury he sustained during the 15th round of the league in a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.
Guardiola stated that Haaland’s condition would be assessed by the medical team before making a decision on his call-up. Following Saturday’s match, Manchester City, the champions of Europe, are scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia, aiming to add the Club World Cup to their last season’s triple, having also won the league and cup titles.
The team coached by Guardiola is set to face Asia’s champions, Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan, in the semi-finals next Tuesday. The Japanese side recently beat CONCACAF champions Club León with a single goal on Friday. The final match of the competition will take place on the following Friday.
According to Guardiola, Haaland “received treatment outside of the club. We hope that he can travel with us to Saudi Arabia, and we’ll see if he is able to play in the first game, the second game, or when we return. I don’t think he will play (against Palace), but maybe he will surprise me.” He clarified that the injury is “not a fracture but just a strain. Sometimes players recover quickly and others need a longer period. Day by day, week by week, we will see how he feels, and the moment he is pain-free, he will play.”
