Haaland unavailable to face Tottenham in FA Cup

Erling Haaland returned to training with his teammates on Monday after being sidelined for more than a month with a foot injury. However, he will not be available to help his team against Spurs in the FA Cup on Friday.

"He’s on the verge of coming back. Tomorrow, still he is not ready but he is close. Some training sessions he has trained in the last two days. It’s not perfect so we wait a little bit more," Guardiola told reporters on Thursday.

The Sky Blues have managed to make up for his absence since he was injured against Aston Villa as Manchester City have gone nine games unbeaten, winning eight and drawing just one.

The Norwegian striker is expected to be fit for the Premier League match against Burnley on 31 January.

John Stones is back in contention after an ankle injury but fellow defender Manuel Akanji remains on the sidelines. Goalkeeper Ederson is also fit after limping off in City's last game at Newcastle.

City have lost on all five of their previous visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium without even scoring a goal. Calling on the FA Cup holders to break their duck, Guardiola said: "That is the reality, (and shows) how tough it is for us.

"Of course this is a 'final', a knockout game and to go through we have to score goals. Always it is a new opportunity to break it. The feeling is most of the times we played really good but the reality is there, no goals, five defeats - so they were much better than us."

 

January 25, 2024