Man City handed Erling Haaland injury boost as Nathan Ake shares Pep Guardiola story

In less than a week, Manchester City will resume its pursuit of the Premier League championship against Liverpool at home.

Following a thrilling 4-4 draw against Chelsea last weekend to end the current international break, Pep Guardiola’s squad will be in attendance at the Etihad Stadium next Saturday to welcome Jurgen Klopp’s squad, marking the beginning of the Premier League season. At present, the two teams are ranked first and second in the table, with City leading by one point.

Nevertheless, the Blues have encountered a succession of injury concerns during the absence, with star striker Erling Haaland’s condition being the most worrisome. His ankle sprain on Thursday during Norway’s 2-0 victory over the Faroe Islands will prevent him from participating in their European Championship qualifying match against Scotland on Sunday evening.

Although City is currently concerned about Haaland’s availability for the upcoming match against Liverpool, they may find solace in the fact that his likelihood of sustaining an injury next summer has diminished. Saturday put an end to Norway’s remote possibilities of qualifying for the European Championship in Germany the following summer; therefore, Haaland can look forward to the conclusion of this season with a sense of contentment.

This evening, Norway will face Scotland to conclude their qualifying campaign for the European Championship, knowing that a victory will not be sufficient to qualify. They are presently positioned third in Group A, trailing Spain in first place by six points and Scotland by eight points in descending order.

The 2-1 defeat suffered by Israel at the hands of Romania severely hampered Norway’s prospects of qualifying through the play-off positions. Norway required Israel’s victory in order to maintain access to the qualifying corridor.

Ake credits Guardiola

Nathan Ake, a defender for City, credited manager Guardiola with maintaining his motivation throughout his rookie season with the club. In 2020, the international from the Netherlands signed the Blues from Bournemouth.

His debut season at the Etihad Stadium was marked by a lack of consistent playing time, despite his substantial transfer fee to City. Simultaneously, his father struggled with cancer until his untimely death in September 2021.

In contrast, his tenure with City has undergone a substantial transformation over the past few years, to the extent that he has nearly accumulated one hundred appearances for the organization. However, in spite of his personal and professional adversity, he feels he owes Guardiola a great deal for his support during that time.