Erling Braut Haaland is not in the matchday squad for Manchester City’s Premier League clash with Leicester City.
The Norwegian striker misses his first league match of the season, having played just 45 minutes of his side’s Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund in midweek.
The Norwegian, who has scored 17 goals in 11 Premier League matches this season, picked up an injury in City’s goalless draw against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening and will now sit out their trip to the King Power Stadium. Pep Guardiola decided to take off Haaland at half-time in Dortmund and revealed that he has a foot injury and minor fever.
There were doubts whether Haaland would make Saturday’s game and Guardiola provided a further update on Friday afternoon, claiming they would assess the free-scoring forward after training. He said: “He feels better but we will train this afternoon and we will assess in a few hours. We will see how he feels in his foot and after we will decide. I will know in two hours if he’s able to play or not.”
But Haaland hasn’t made the squad for the game, with Guardiola choosing to go with Julian Alvarez up front. Jack Grealish has also been recalled to the starting XI, while Bernardo Silva is likely to play on the right-hand side of the front-three.
Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez are among the substitutes.
🔵 TEAM NEWS 🔵
XI | Ederson, Stones, Akanji, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Gundogan (C), Bernardo, Alvarez, Grealish
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Dias, Ake, Gomez, Mahrez, Foden, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand#ManCity | @HaysWorldwide pic.twitter.com/gYJUIL7Y9V
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 29, 2022
Erling Haaland not in the matchday squad for Man City’s game at Leicester has cause Fantasy Premier League managers into meltdown.
One FPL manager tweeted; “Team ruined.”
A second wrote: “RIP to those who captained Haaland.”
A third added: “That’s my game week ruined.”
Another commented: “My FPL is over before it started. Haaland out, Foden on the bench.”
