Pep Guardiola confirmed that Erling Haaland is unsure for Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Saturday after he got hurt against Real Madrid.
Both Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were taken out in extra-time against Madrid as City’s attempt to win a second straight Champions League ended in a dramatic penalty-shootout loss in the quarter-finals.
After the game, Guardiola suggested that both players had sustained minor injuries and asked to be substituted.
However, with a quick turnaround until Saturday’s semi-final, the Spaniard is now concerned about the health of his star striker.
‘Kevin [De Bruyne] feels well, Erling [Haaland] we will see,’ he confirmed at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
‘He said a little bit niggles and we’ll see his evolution in the next hours. It was a tough game [against Madrid]. 120 mins of action. High intensity for both sides. Erling felt something. A muscular issue that meant he could not continue.
‘Kevin was exhausted after five months out injured. That is normal. We will see tomorrow. It’s normal. The number of games this season and previous seasons, not much recovery and extra time and the high-intensity way we play.
‘We put a lot of pressure in our game. They are human beings, not machines and sometimes fatigue is there.’
City were boosted in midweek by the return of Kyle Walker and will hope that the English right-back will be able to start again on Saturday despite playing all 120 minutes on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Nathan Ake was fit enough to be on the bench, while John Stones came on as a late substitute having missed out last weekend against Luton Town.
Guardiola’s side failed to beat Chelsea in their two Premier League meetings this season but will hope for an improved performance to keep alive hopes of a domestic double this season.
