Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was rested for the FA Cup victory over Salford City on the weekend, but he is expected to return against Newcastle United on the weekend. The big Norwegian is reportedly moving around without any noticeable issues right now, so he is should be good to go on Saturday.
Besides, the issue with Haaland is just minor anyway. It’s only a knock on his knee.
Newcastle United at Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Feb. 21, 8pm, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
Team News: Man City Newcastle
More on the FA Cup Draw, involving both teams: go here
PL Form, Standings: Man City 2nd, 53 pts, LWDWW Newcastle 10th, 36 pts, DLLLW
Google Result Probability: Man City win 68% Draw 18% Newcastle 14%
Man City Team News
“He’s not 100 percent,” City manager Pep Guardiola said in his most recent media opportunity (on Friday). “But we’ll see today how he feels. It’s not a big issue, the doctor said to me. But had some disturbance before and during the game, and we will see his evolution.”
Beyond Haaland, we have another player who faces a late fitness test, due to a knock, in Max Alleyne. The youngster was forced off early against Salford, and more medical assessment awaits before anything more definitive can be said.
Elsewhere Mateo Kovacic, who has been out since undergoing surgery to repair an injured Achilles last summer, could return sometime in April or May.
“We think Mateo will be ready for the World Cup, probably even earlier,” Guardiola said last week. “It’s a complex injury and treatment; things are monitored daily. Recovery is going well…”
And then finally, Jeremy Doku and Savinho are both touch-and-go for this one. They’ll need to pass late fitness tests in order to make the matchday squad here. This match certainly has a “you again?” feel to it. As we learned on Monday, these two sides were drawn against each other for the fifth round of the FA Cup.
They also clashed in the semifinals of the EFL Cup.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.