Erling Haaland involved in training ahead of Liverpool clash, confirms Pep

Erling Haaland suffered an ankle injury during the international break

Erling Haaland could “hopefully” be ready for Manchester City’s pivotal match against Liverpool on Saturday, according to Pep Guardiola.

While playing for Norway this past week, Haaland suffered an ankle injury. He had to go back early to his club to tend to the problem.

The leading scorer in the Premier League returned to training on Thursday, raising the possibility that he may be prepared to face the Reds at the Etihad.

In his presser prior to the match, Guardiola gave a vague response about the situation, stating that the striker “trained with some niggles” on Thursday but will “hopefully” participate in the last session on Friday.

‘We have a few problems, the same as many clubs,’ the manager added, seemingly unsure of who is available.

‘We will see in the training session and we will see tomorrow. At 6pm I will know for sure which players I will have tomorrow. Always it’s plan A.’

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‘Honestly, I could not expect to be in this position at the start of the season. We have five teams so tight, but we are there,’ Guardiola said.

‘It’s an important game but there’s more to come. December is so tight, we have the [Club] World Cup in Saudi Arabia.’

As the international break draws to a close, Haaland will not be Manchester City’s lone injury issue. Nathan Ake, Ederson, Mateo Kovacic, and Matheus Nunes are also either doubtful or ruled out for Saturday’s game.

This is a crucial period of the season for Manchester City, who play Tottenham and Aston Villa after Liverpool, both of which are now three points behind the league leaders.

The Citizens will also be participating in the Club World Cup for the initial time next month, which is going to further tax the team.

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