- Pep Guardiola confirmed Erling Haaland will miss Man City’s clash with Brighton
- The Norwegian missed their recent FA Cup semi-final victory against Chelsea
- I’m not having complaining about playing too often. Why are managers disingenuous over player welfare? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Title-chasing Manchester City will be without leading scorer Erling Haaland for Thursday’s Premier League clash with Brighton.
Haaland missed the FA Cup semi-final win over Chelsea on Saturday with a muscle issue and has now been ruled out of his side’s trip to the Amex Stadium.
Manager Pep Guardiola insisted the matter was not a serious one for the 20-goal striker, who could come back into contention Sunday’s clash with Nottingham Forest, and was boosted by Phil Foden and John Stones both getting the green light after their own fitness concerns.
‘Erling is not ready for tomorrow, the other two – they are ready,’ he said.
‘I know it is not a big issue, but he is not allowed for this game.’
The defending champions are four points behind leaders Arsenal with two games in hand, with second-placed Liverpool taking part in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday night.
Erling Haaland will miss Manchester City’s league visit to Brighton on Thursday evening
However, Pep Guardiola insisted the striker’s absence is ‘not a big issue’ for the Treble winners
