Manchester City received a blow with the exclusion of their Norwegian striker Erling Haaland from the match against Brighton, scheduled for Thursday in the postponed 29th round of the English Premier League, due to injury. Haaland (23 years old) missed his team’s 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Saturday at Wembley Stadium in the FA Cup semi-finals due to a muscle injury he sustained during the match against Real Madrid in the return leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, which ended in a 4-3 victory for the latter on penalties after a 1-1 draw in both regular and extra time, leading to their qualification.
Haaland is at the top of the league's scoring chart, tied with Chelsea's Cole Palmer (20 goals). Defending champions Manchester City aim to reduce the gap with leaders Arsenal (77 points) to just one point if they win against Brighton, noting that they also have a game in hand.
City manager Pep Guardiola confirmed that Haaland's injury is not serious and may allow him to return before facing Nottingham Forest on Sunday in the 35th round. Midfielder Phil Foden and center-back John Stones received the green light to face Brighton after fitness concerns. The coach told reporters on Wednesday, "Haaland is not ready for tomorrow's match; the other two players are ready." He added, "I know it’s not a big problem, but he is not allowed to play in this match."
The title race has intensified after Arsenal overwhelmed Chelsea with a 5-0 victory in the London derby on Tuesday, temporarily taking the lead with a 3-point advantage over Liverpool, who plays against Everton on Wednesday, and 4 points ahead of City, who have played two matches less.
