Pep Guardiola, the manager of Premier League champions Manchester City, indicated last night that the team's top scorer, Erling Haaland, will be sidelined until the end of January due to a foot injury. City will face Newcastle United away in the Premier League later today and will visit Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup on January 26 before hosting Burnley in the league on January 31.
Guardiola told reporters before heading to St. James' Park that he "expects the Norwegian Haaland (23) to return to training during the team's camp in Abu Dhabi next week." Haaland shares the top position in the Premier League scoring chart with Mohamed Salah of Liverpool, with both having scored 14 goals, but the Norwegian has missed the last eight matches played by City across all competitions due to injury.
Guardiola added, "We need him... We hope he can return to the team and participate in the last four or five months without any issues." City currently sits third in the Premier League standings, five points behind league leaders Liverpool, but they have a game in hand. The coach believes his team's chances of winning the league for the fourth consecutive time are still viable, stating, "Currently, yes. How many points are available? 18 or 19 matches... so, of course, it is mathematically possible."
