Erling Haaland was not seen in Manchester City training ahead of their crunch clash against Liverpool due to worries about his injury. On Saturday April 1, Manchester City will face Liverpool at the Etihad in a key Premier League matchup. The goal for Pep Guardiola’s team is to win their third straight Premier League title while attempting to close the gap on league leaders Arsenal.

The Reds, meanwhile, will be hoping for a repeat of their previous meeting at Anfield, where Mohamed Salah secured a victory back in October. In addition, City may be without Erling Haaland, the leading scorer in Europe, after the Norwegian was not seen at training on Thursday.

Erling Haaland absence major boost for Liverpool and title-chasing Arsenal

Erling Haaland was initially listed as a doubt for the game after sustaining a groin injury during Manchester City’s 6-0 victory over Burnley in the FA Cup quarterfinals, but there has been no confirmation of his absence. The 22-year-old was forced to leave the Norway squad after attending a hospital in Barcelona for evaluations despite scoring another hat-trick against the Clarets.

Prior to their EURO 2024 qualifying games against Spain and Georgia during the international break, the Norwegian FA revealed that Haaland had been withdrawn from the squad owing to a groin injury. The Norwegian Football Federation issued a statement, which read:

“Erling Haaland had some pain in his groin after the match against Burnley. We hoped that this was just a familiarity that would carry over to Saturday. After doing tests and examinations yesterday it became clear that he will not make it to the games against Spain and Georgia.”

Talking to Norwegian news outlet TV2 last week, Haaland’s father had explained:

“Manchester City has a partnership with a hospital in Barcelona so he has been there for further checks and treatment. Now he has been here [Marbella] for a couple of days with the physio from the club. Firstly, I’m not a doctor and secondly, I think it’s ‘touch and go’ [to be fit for City’s next fixture], yes. You can’t just go two weeks without training and then jump right into a fight. There must be a progression there.

“They can gamble on it, but if he doesn’t get proper training with the team, then he won’t play. It is about how he responds to treatment in the next few days. He needs a lot of care and ‘knuckling’. There are many sprints and there is a lot to move.”

Haaland was not seen in the photos from City’s training sessions as they get ready for this weekend’s crucial match against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium. Since Pep Guardiola had anticipated the absence of his leading goal scorer, Julian Alvarez may get the start against the Reds.

The absence of Erling Haaland will be a major setback for City since it reduces their chances of winning without their productive striker. As they try to increase their advantage at the top of the table with a win against Leeds United, Arsenal will be hoping that the defending Premier League champions drop points against Liverpool.

Erling Haaland has had an immediate impression after joining from Borussia Dortmund last summer, scoring 42 goals in all competitions this season. With 28 goals in just 26 games for the defending Premier League champions, the 22-year-old is presently leading the golden boot race but could miss many games due to the groin injury.