Erling Haaland suffered a knee injury in the final minutes of the 4-0 win over Newcastle United on 15 February. The Norwegian striker could return to training the next day and be in the squad flying to Madrid to participate in the second leg of the Champions League play-off against Real Madrid.
However, Haaland was not fit enough to play and sat on the bench with Kevin de Bruyne. Ahead of hosting Liverpool at the Etihad on Sunday, coach Pep Guardiola shared with reporters:
"Erling tried to practice after an injury against Newcastle. Maybe, with the shots we had, everything was fine, but he felt uncomfortable when traveling, like when climbing stairs."
"We talked and he said he wasn't ready to play and didn't feel well," said the Spaniard.
Coach Pep Guardiola added that there is hope Haaland can start at the weekend. The 2000-born striker has scored 27 goals in 35 appearances this season, 19 of which have come in the Premier League.
City are currently 17 points behind leaders Liverpool. finishing in the top 4 seems to be the most feasible goal they can aim for at the end of the season.
