Erling Haaland has not been named in the Manchester City side to take on Leeds United in their crunch Premier League clash this evening, as the Norwegian superstar deals with an injury.
Haaland didn’t travel to Elland Road with the Man City squad, after suffering an injury in training ahead of the trip.
When asked about Haaland’s absence before kick-off, City boss Pep Guardiola said: “Two days ago, in the last moments of training, he had some problems and a little injury. Not a big issue but not ready for today.
“We are without one top striker and we are playing with another top striker.”
Norwegian pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft also revealed on Viaplay Football that the 25-year-old striker is expected to return for City’s game with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.
City can ill afford any slip-ups in the Premier League title race as they try to hunt down Arsenal, trailing the Gunners by five points heading into the weekend, albeit with a game in hand.
Guardiola’s side have been in superb form domestically in recent week, winning four and drawing one of their last five league games since a 2-0 defeat in the Manchester derby in mid-January.
Haaland’s absence will be a blow however, with Omar Marmoush set to lead the line against Leeds – and the likes of Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki as the other attacking forces in the starting XI.
The Norwegian has scored just two goals in his last six Premier League games but still tops the division’s goalscoring charts with 22 this season.
Meanwhile, Leeds manager Daniel Farke made no changes to his starting line-up from their 1-1 draw away to Aston Villa last Saturday. The Whites are currently sit 15th in the Premier League, six points above the relegation zone.
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