Haaland, Kovacic & O’Reilly - Manchester City injury news ahead of Aston Villa Premier League clash

Several big names are doubtful ahead of the clash with Villa.

Manchester City will travel to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa for a crucial Matchday 8 fixture of the Premier League 2026-27 on Saturday, October 24. This is a vital fixture for the Cityzens, who need a win to maintain their three-point lead at the top of the table.

City have won all of their seven league matches so far, sitting three points ahead of Arsenal at the top of the table. Enzo Maresca’s men have been in scintillating form, scoring 19 goals and conceding just seven.

They will face a tough test against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, who have won two of their last three league matches. Their last outing was a 1-0 win away at Newcastle United. The Birmingham-based club are currently in 12th place, but will pose a big challenge for the visitors.

Despite Manchester City’s free-scoring form, they have been dealt several injury knocks ahead of this crucial fixture. Big names such as Erling Haaland, Mateo Kovacic, Nico O’Reilly, and Antoine Semenyo have recently suffered injuries, raising doubts about their participation in the next match.

Enzo Maresca delivered some injury updates regarding these players following City’s 5-1 win over AEK Athens in their league phase fixture in the UEFA Champions League.

Also Read: Aston Villa vs Manchester City Preview, prediction, injury news & lineups

Enzo Maresca confirms Erling Haaland’s availability

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Maresca revealed that star striker Erling Haaland will be available for City’s match against Villa.

The Norwegian suffered a painful blow to his foot during City’s 3-2 Premier League victory over Ipswich Town last weekend. As a result, he was left on the bench for the win against AEK Athens.

However, he is now set to return to the starting XI. This will be a big boost to City’s prospects. He has scored 12 goals in 10 appearances across all competitions this season.

“We have a session this afternoon. They can be all available or not,” Maresca said. “Yesterday they were all improving, and we’ll see this afternoon. Erling is the only one 100% available, and the other three we need to wait for today’s session.”

O’Reilly, Kovacic, and Matheus Nunes were all left out of the matchday squad against AEK Athens due to fitness concerns against Ipswich Town. O’Reilly aggravated an old back problem against the Tractor Boys. Kovacic and Nunes were withdrawn with injuries.

All three have made progress in training and could be in line to make an appearance against Villa. However, it remains to be seen if they are fit enough to start the match.

One player who is certain to be out for an extended period is winger Antoine Semenyo. The attacker sustained a knee injury during the closing stages of the win over Ipswich. He will be out for around eight weeks.

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