Manchester City prepare to take on Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium tonight.
City can close the gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal to two points with victory over Newcastle, before the Gunners travel to Tottenham in Sunday’s north London derby. Haaland picked up a knock in City’s win against Fulham last Wednesday and was left out of the squad for their victory over Salford City in the FA Cup three days later.
Haaland has scored 29 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions this season, and leads the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot with 22, five clear of his nearest challenger, Brentford’s Igor Thiago. His fitness, however, has been questioned in recent weeks, even before injury in the Fulham game, and his scoring streak has tailed off.
But in a huge boost for City, Guardiola appeared to confirm that Haaland is back to 100 percent as he nodded when asked if the Norwegian was “fully fit”. The Catalan coach also offered a more mixed report on City’s wing options as he provided an update on the returns of Jeremy Doku and Savinho.
Manchester City prepare to take on Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium tonight. (Photo: Getty Images)placeholder image
Manchester City prepare to take on Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium tonight. (Photo: Getty Images) | Getty Images
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“Doku is not training and Savinho’s ready,” he said. Young defender Max Alleyne could also return, having been forced off during the FA Cup win over Salford, but Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic remain sidelined for the foreseeable. Abdukodir Khusanov played the full 90 minutes against Salford, opening the door for Matheus Nunes to start at right-back.
Nico O'Reilly should continue his midfield role, having scored against Fulham, alongside Rodri, who had a cameo off the bench last time out.
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