Pep unsure over Haaland injury as City boss complains about fixture schedule

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admits he has no timetable for Erling Haaland’s return after the striker sat out Saturday’s 1-0 win at Leeds United with a training-ground problem picked up on Thursday.

Haaland, who has scored 27 goals in all competitions this season, was described as having a “little injury” by Guardiola on Friday, but the Catalan conceded post-match that the Norwegian’s availability remains uncertain. “I don’t know,” Guardiola said when pressed on a possible comeback date.

Haaland’s absence opened the door for January arrival Antoine Semenyo, who started through the middle at Elland Road and struck the decisive goal to keep City within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal.

The timing of the setback is awkward for City, who now face a compressed run of four fixtures across three competitions inside 14 days. After hosting Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, they travel to Newcastle in the FA Cup fifth round next Saturday evening—an 8 p.m. kick-off that Guardiola believes undermines preparations for the Champions League last-16 first leg at Real Madrid on 11 March. Three days later City are back on the road at West Ham.

“Thank you so much for letting us play at 8 p.m. instead of 3 p.m., so we have less recovery to play Real Madrid,” Guardiola said, his sarcasm underscoring concern over player fatigue.

City remain alive on four fronts, yet Guardiola insists securing Champions League qualification is the “main, main target” for the club. “We’re playing against teams who are going down or playing for Europe—every game is really tough,” he added, refusing to predict a prolonged winning streak despite the tight title race.

Semenyo’s immediate impact has eased short-term fears over Haaland’s lay-off. Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards praised the forward’s blend of pace, power and tactical intelligence, noting his willingness to drop deep and defend. “To have the impact with so many stars in the team shows how good he is,” Richards said.

For now Guardiola must balance rest and rotation as the fixtures pile up and his star striker works his way back to fitness.