Guardiola Worries About Haaland’s Fitness Before Spurs Match

Haaland’s availability for City’s crucial clash with Spurs remains uncertain. Guardiola provided an update but stopped short of confirming his star striker’s return.

February 25, 2025
8:15 pm

Pep Guardiola is feeling the heat as he waits to see if Erling Haaland will be fit to take on Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. Manchester City is eager to bounce back from a tough week.

The Norwegian superstar didn’t play in City’s heartbreaking Champions League loss to Real Madrid and missed Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at the Etihad. He’s been dealing with a pesky knee issue, and it’s still unclear if he’ll make the trip to north London.

Guardiola chatted with the media on Tuesday and gave an update on Haaland but didn’t make any promises.

“Tonight we’ll know after training. I hope he’ll be fit, but I don’t know yet,” said Guardiola. “He feels better, but he couldn’t play in the last two games. We’ll see tomorrow.”

Haaland has been training before recent matches and even made the bench for City’s first-leg clash at the Bernabéu, but he’s been sidelined when it really counts.

On a brighter note, Ruben Dias is expected to return to the starting lineup after sitting on the bench against Liverpool. However, City will still miss John Stones and Manuel Akanji for the Spurs match.

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It’s been a tough season for Guardiola’s squad, who are struggling to keep their hopes alive for a fifth straight Premier League title. Instead, they’re fighting for a top-four finish, with injuries playing a big part in their challenges.

In January, the club brought in four new players—Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, and Vitor Reis—and Guardiola was excited to talk about them before the Spurs game.

“They’ve all been really good for the time they’ve had in training,” he said. “[Khusanov] has adapted quickly, coming from a different country and not speaking the language, but he’s made a great impact. Omar [Marmoush] has too.

“Nico [Gonzalez] has played less, but they’ve all been impressive. We’re happy with their contributions. And of course, Vitor [Reis] will be at a good level when he gets more minutes.”

City’s match against Tottenham could be a turning point for their season. With Champions League qualification now the main goal, every game is crucial. The big question is: will Haaland be ready when they need him the most?