Erling Haaland: Pep Guardiola Rates Chances of Man City Ace Playing vs Arsenal After Injury

• Erling Haaland was subbed off at half-time of Manchester City's clash against Aston Villa on Sunday
• The forward was withdrawn after an apparent thigh injury after a big collision with Emi Martinez
• It remains unclear if the Norwegian star will be available when City take on Arsenal at home

Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola has broken the silence on Erling Haaland's injury concerns ahead of his side's mouthwatering clash against table-toppers, Arsenal.

The two title favourites are scheduled to face off on Wednesday, February 15, in a clash projected to have a crucial bearing on the title race.

However, City could be without Haaland for the mid-week encounter after the Norwegian star picked an injury over the weekend.

Metro UK reports the youngster had to be hauled off in the first half of the defending champion's Premier League meeting with Aston Villa.

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The publication reports that Haaland appeared to be struggling with a thigh problem after he collided with Villa goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez.

Will Haaland face Arsenal?

While discussing the extent of Haaland's injury, Guardiola suggested that his star man is a major doubt for the Arsenal meeting.

"Right now, I don’t know. We will have to see over the next few days," the Spanish manager said when asked if Haaland would be available for the Emirates trip.

"He got a knock and was uncomfortable so at 3-0 up, we didn’t want to take the risk. We will assess him and if he’s not ready, we will play someone else. Hopefully, he is ready," he added.

The former Dortmund Borussia ace has enjoyed a bright start to life since his arrival in the Premier League last summer.

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The forward has already scored an eyewatering 31 goals across competitions, with 25 of those coming in the English top flight.

Guardiola strike pair fails test

Sports Brief earlier reported on Guardiola deploying the strike pair of Haaland and Julian Alvarez, who failed their first full test together.

The two strikers completed a full 90 minutes against Spurs and failed to have a shot on target, in what was an experiment gone totally awry.

There has been growing concerns on Haaland's ineffectiveness at breaking down stubborn defences, despite his manager's insistence.