Manchester City forwards Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku both face a race against the clock in order to be fit to face Crystal Palace on Saturday. Haaland is supposedly “day to day” or “week to week” in regards to a bone-stress reaction in his foot. Manager Pep Guardiola insists that the big Norwegian did not suffer a break in his foot though, and his latest update was as follows:
“He will be back on Thursday, I think. We will see how he feels.”
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace FYIs
Kick: Sat. Dec. 16, 3pm, The Etihad
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PL Position: Manchester City 4th, 33 pts Crystal Palace 15th, 16 pts
Form Guide: Manchester City WLDDD Crystal Palace LLDLL
Google Result Probability: Manchester City 8% Crystal Palace 6% Draw 12%
Man City Team News
“I don’t know right now (when he will be back) but the next press conference I could be more precise.” So it sounds like Haaland will be a match time decision here.
As for Doku, he’s missed a decent amount of time lately due to an unspecified muscle injury problem.
It’s muscular, it’s not a big, big issue like Kevin was for example,” Guardiola said at the weekend about the situation surrounding the winger they acquired in the summer.
“We have to think about it as well because of his explosiveness.
“We have to be careful. I don’t know when he will be ready, maybe one week or two weeks he will be ready again.”
He may be out until the Club World Cup, which commences on Tuesday night. There is better news though, regarding midfield maestro Kevin de Bruyne. He is back outside running on grass, and it may not be long until he is training again with the rest of the group.
The big Belgian has made tremendous strides in his recovery from the hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined for most of this season. He could be back for the festive fixtures.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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