Pep Guardiola makes worrying Erling Haaland fitness admission after Arsenal injury | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is not overly optimistic about Erling Haaland’s chances of being available for selection against Burnley on Saturday.

Haaland complained of back pain in Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal last weekend and after starting for the third time in seven days, the Norway international was taken off for Nico Gonzalez after 76 minutes at the Emirates Stadium.

The 25-year-old has been in red hot form this season and scored his seventh goal in six games this campaign against the Gunners, with Manchester City nearly coming away with all three points from north London before Gabriel Martinelli rescued a point for Mikel Arteta’s men with a brilliant injury-time lob over Gianluigi Donnarumma.

City cruised to a 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup third-round on Wednesday evening, with Haaland missing from the travelling squad amid growing doubts over the former Borussia Dortmund man’s availability for Burnley this weekend.

Pep Guardiola’s side return to Premier League duties against the Clarets on Saturday and with a significant eight-point margin already between the Blues and league leaders Liverpool, there is very little room for error for Manchester City in the title race as they aim to win a fifth league title in six seasons in May 2026.

Haaland’s fitness carries utmost importance to City owing largely to the absence of a like-for-like, capable deputy at centre forward for Guardiola since Julian Alvarez’s £82 million departure to Atletico Madrid last summer.

The Scandinavian star scored 34 goals over the course of the 2024-25 campaign despite Manchester City’s well-documented battles with injuries last term – and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden struggling for form and consistency over several months.

Since the start of the 2025-26 season, Haaland has arguably improved his all-round game and is reaping the rewards of work done on his game over the years with Guardiola, who has extolled the virtues of Manchester City’s talisman after his match-winning displays in recent weeks.

City need Haaland to stay fit and firing if they stand any chance of pipping Liverpool and Arsenal to the Premier League title – it is quite literally as simple as that. Omar Marmoush – currently recovering from a thigh injury – can play down the middle but this is Erling Braut Halaand we are talking.

There remain doubts over Haaland’s fitness ahead of Burnley’s visit to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, with Guardiola remaining coy on his striker’s availability against Scott Parker and co in City’s upcoming Premier League game.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after City secured their place in the Carabao Cup fourth-round on Wednesday evening, Guardiola was asked whether Haaland will be able to prove his fitness in time for Saturday. “Tomorrow we’ll see,” the Manchester City manager said.

Should Haaland be unfit for Saturday, academy star Divine Mukasa could be involved down the middle for the Blues after starring against Huddersfield Town. City have already suffered league losses to Tottenham and Brighton – and cannot be dropping points for fun in the way they have begun the season.