Erling Haaland could miss Saturday’s clash with Leicester City, but Pep Guardiola has faith in Julian Alvarez filling the void.
Manchester City will assess Erling Haaland ahead of their Premier League clash with Leicester City after his half-time withdrawal against Borussia Dortmund in midweek.
Haaland’s return to Signal Iduna Park was cut short on Wednesday due to fever and knocks.
City travel to face the Foxes in Saturday’s early kick-off for a game that gives them the chance to put pressure on Arsenal, who host Nottingham Forest on Sunday, to leapfrog them at the top of the table.
However, it is not yet clear whether they will have Haaland at their disposal.
Pep Guardiola said of his star striker in a press conference ahead of the visit to the King Power Stadium: “He is feeling better, but we will train this afternoon [Friday] and we will evaluate it in a few hours.
“We’ll see how he feels and then make a decision.”
Haaland got off to a sensational start in the Premier League after his move from Dortmund.
He has scored 17 goals in 11 Premier League games this season, the joint-second most by a Norwegian player in a single campaign (Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, 18 in 1996-97). His goals were worth 11 points, the most by a City player in a single campaign since Raheem Sterling in 2017-18 (also 11).
If he is unable to start against Leicester, Julian Alvarez is likely to take his place in the center of attack.
The 22-year-old has scored twice in nine league games for City, starting just one of them.
Despite his limited time in the playing XI, Guardiola has full confidence in Alvarez’s ability to fill the void.
“If Haaland doesn’t play, then Alvarez is the natural first choice to replace him. I don’t judge Julian by how many goals he scores,” added Guardiola.
“Play 90 minutes every game and he will score goals, maybe not like Erling but he will score goals.
