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Manchester City are set to face Southampton on Saturday, May 10, at the St. Mary’s Stadium in the closing phases of the current Premier League season. City have recently been on a nine-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and seem to be in pretty good form. In fact, during this time, they were missing the services of their star striker Erling Haaland, who had been sidelined since March 31, after picking up an ankle injury against Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
The club is set to receive a significant boost in their upcoming game against Southampton as Erling Haaland is fit and ready to play, as confirmed by manager Pep Guardiola. The Manchester outfit is currently engaged in a heated battle for the Champions League spots with the other clubs and has a slender one-point lead in third place in the PL table. A win tomorrow will pretty much seal their place in the prestigious European competition for next season.
Guardiola responds to Haaland’s comments about lack of hunger as reason for average season so far
Speaking to the press prior to the upcoming game, Pep Guardiola said that Haaland is fit enough to start the game and it will only be decided tomorrow whether he makes it into the starting XI. City have another important fixture coming up on May 17, which is the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace and so we might see Guardiola take a slightly cautious approach with Haaland’s return, keeping the big game in mind.
Speaking on an interview in the prior weeks, Haaland had commented about how City’s current season was not that successful in terms of silverware and regarded it to a slight loss of hunger within the squad to push for titles. Guardiola was asked about the same in the pre-match proceedings, to which he replied by saying, “If it’s the feelings of Erling, then the players should talk to each other and ask themselves why?” Although City might not be winning the Premier League or the Champions League this season, they still have a shot at some silverware with the FA Cup final lined up against Crystal Palace.
