Slightly affected (as assured by his coach Pep Guardiola), Erling Haaland will miss a second match with Manchester City, while victory is mandatory on Thursday at Brighton in the title race.
The British press does not know much about Erling Haaland’s state of health. After asking to leave during the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid (elimination on penalties), a week ago, the Norwegian striker from Manchester City withdrew from the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea (1-0), last Saturday at Wembley.
Haaland will not resume on Thursday (9 p.m.) on the Brighton pitch, as indicated by Pep Guardiola, while the Cityzens now have four points less than Arsenal, with two matches less. “It’s not a big problem, but he’s not fit for this match”only replied the Catalan coach, who had already minimized the absence of his essential center forward last Friday.
Faux pas prohibited!
A poor performance against the Seagulls or during next Sunday’s trip to Nottingham (5:30 p.m.) would put the reigning English champions in an unfavorable position, because they have a worse goal difference than the Gunners (+44 against +56 currently ). The Mancunians conclude their season against Wolverhampton, Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham, before playing in the FA Cup final against Man United on May 25.
Good news, however, for Guardiola: John Stones, replaced at half-time against the Blues, and Phil Foden, absent from training on Tuesday (due to a knock), are operational to face Brighton. The group is therefore almost complete, with Ruben Dias, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva expected at the Amex Stadium on Thursday evening. Julian Alvarez will take his place at the forefront of the attack and Jérémy Doku has a chance to start.
