Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates scoring his side's first goal of the game during the FA Cup quarterfinal soccer match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England. (Photo | AP)
MANCHESTER: Erling Haaland is a doubt for Manchester City's match against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday as the striker recovers from a groin injury.
The 22-year-old Haaland withdrew from the Norway squad for its European Championship qualifiers against Spain and Georgia during the international break. His father, Alf-Inge, was quoted by Norwegian TV saying his son had travelled to Barcelona for treatment.
City's manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday that he would decide on Haaland's availability after the team's final training session.
The team will also be without England winger Phil Foden, who underwent appendix surgery last weekend.
Guardiola said doctors told him that Foden would be out for "two-to-three weeks."
Haaland's fitness is more important, given he has scored 28 goals in the Premier League and 42 in all competitions during a prolific first season in English soccer.
City is second in the league, eight points behind Arsenal but with a game in hand.
The team has a busy April, including home-and-away games against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and an FA Cup semifinal match against Sheffield United, as it looks to remain in contention for three trophies.
