Pep Guardiola hands Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic updates ahead of Manchester City vs Burnley | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Erling Haaland is ready for selection when Manchester City welcome Burnley to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

City saw Gabriel Martinelli’s injury-time leveller for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium snatch what would have been a monumental three points in the title race, with the Brazilian chipping Gianluigi Donnarumma to salvage a draw for the Gunners.

Haaland was taken off for Nico Gonzalez after 76 minutes against Mikel Arteta’s men after the 25-year-old forward bagged his seventh goal in six appearances this season, with summer signing Tijjani Reijnders teeing up the Norwegian for the second time this term.

Guardiola said after the 1-1 draw in north London that Haaland had complained of backpain after starting in each of Manchester City’s games against Manchester United, Napoli and Arsenal over seven days.

The former Borussia Dortmund man did not travel with the Manchester City squad for their Carabao Cup third-round win over Huddersfield Town in midweek as goals from Phil Foden and Savinho secured a 2-0 triumph for a much-changed Blues side on the road.

However, Haaland was pictured in training at the City Football Academy (CFA) on Thursday as it emerged that the Scandinavian star might be in line to retain his starting spot in the Manchester City lineup on Saturday.

Speaking in a press conference on Friday afternoon, Guardiola confirmed that Haaland is ready and available for selection against Burnley on Saturday. “He’s ready,” Guardiola said.

Abdukodir Khusanov was taken off at half-time against Arsenal last week after hurting his ankle in a collision before the interval, with the Uzbekistan international not involved in the midweek Carabao Cup win over Huddersfield Town. Rayan Cherki suffered an injury in the days leading to Manchester City’s 2-1 loss away at Brighton before the international break.

Mateo Kovacic has returned to full first-team training this week after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, having undergone surgery on his Achilles after the end of the 2024-25 campaign. Rayan Ait-Nouri has been injured of late, with January signing Omar Marmoush also recovering from a thigh injury sustained in the recent international break.

Giving a collective squad fitness update on Friday, Guardiola said: “(Rayan) Ait-Nouri, no. (Rayan) Cherki, no. (Abdukodir) Khusanov, no. (Omar) Marmoush, no. And (Mateo) Kova, maybe,” which could see Kovacic get his first minutes on the pitch since May after missing the FIFA Club World Cup and Manchester City’s start to the 2025-26 season.

With a run of positive results since the international break, City have turned a corner after a miserable start to the season and having made nine changes to his lineup in midweek, Guardiola is expected to revert to his preferred starting XI against Burnley on Saturday.