Manchester City is feeling the pain that comes with the absence of Premier League leading scorer Erling Haaland. He’s missed the past two league fixtures, and the last three across all competitions, with a stress reaction in his foot. The club maintains that Haaland hasn’t suffered a fracture, but if his situation is mishandled, a more serious stress fracture could develop.
At least that’s what’s being reported. One has to wonder if manager Pep Guardiola would even bother riskinf him on Tuesday night.
Manchester City vs Urawa Reds FC FYIs
Kickoff: Tues Dec. 19, King Abdullah Sports City
Where: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 9pm local
Competition: Club World Cup Semifinals
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Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Man City Team News
After all, Pep is expected to rest a lot of his starters when he takes on the Japanese J1 League Champions, the Urawa Reds (short for Urawa Red Diamonds) in the Club World World semifinals. Haaland may not play in this match, which is being staged in the capital of Saudi Arabia, even if he is match fit.
The 23-year-old Norwegian has 14 league goals thus far this season, and they really could have used him today! City was up 2-0 on Crystal Palace heading into the 76′ when Jean-Phillipe Mateta brought one back for the visitors.
City then dropped two points when they gave away a penalty and Michael Olise converted from the spot in the fifth minute of extra time. It was a draw that felt like a loss for the hosts, especially given that it the heartbreak was sealed at the death.
In rounding out the rest of the City team news, Jeremy Doku has been missing in action in the short term while Kevin de Bruyne has been out in the longer-term. De Bruyne is moving closer towards training again while Doku may be in contention to make the match day squad here.
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.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.