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Pep Guardiola has revealed that both Erling Haaland and Rodri have recovered from their respective injuries and will be fit for Manchester City’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth on Sunday. Haaland had an injury scare during City’s 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa last week, but the Norwegian is ready to face Andoni Iraola’s in-form side, who are second in the table.
Haaland appeared to hurt himself when he collided with the post in the last few minutes of City’s defeat at Villa. He played no part at all in the 3-1 win at Swansea in the Carabao Cup. Guardiola set alarm bells ringing among City fans when he said after the Swansea game that he was not sure whether Haaland would be back to face Bournemouth.
However, he allayed fears about the Norwegian’s fitness by declaring he was “ready” to play against the Cherries.
Erling Haaland collided with the post but has been deemed fit to play. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Rodri has not featured for City since injuring his hamstring in the first half of the 1-0 win at Brentford on October 5. The Spaniard has had a lot of misfortune with injuries since tearing his ACL in September 2024 and missing almost all of last season. He suffered a muscle injury against Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup, forcing him to miss the start of this season. He missed the game against Burnley after complaining of pain in his knee, a week before he hurt his hamstring while playing against Brentford.
Guardiola said Rodri would be back for Sunday’s game at the Etihad Stadium although he stressed that he might not be available to start the game or complete 90 minutes. “I think he will be ready to help us. I don’t know from the beginning but hopefully he can be with us,” he said. “Everybody is desperate to play. He has been out a few times and we all know how important he is for us.”
Omar Marmoush made his first start against Swansea in almost two months following injury, scoring his first goal since the previous campaign. Guardiola hopes it will lead to the Egyptian gaining belief. “People who play up front score goals and it gives them a lot of confidence,” he said. “Hopefully he can continue to grow with his goals and games and everything.”
Marmoush scored a jaw-dropping long-range goal against Bournemouth last season in a 3-1 win which went a long way towards ensuring City finished third and qualified for the Champions League.
The City boss lavished praise on Bournemouth and their coach Iraola after they rose up to second in the table, four points behind leaders Arsenal, and having lost just one of their nine matches this season. The Cherries’ excellent form has been extra impressive after they sold three-quarters of their first-choice back four and parted with forward Dango Outtara in the summer. They have the lowest net spend in the league, turning a profit of £87m.
Guardiola said: “They are top. How coordinated they are with the hierarchy with the sporting directors, with the managers and with the players – they have a clear philosophy and that doesn’t change. Of course players change and other things but it is impressive. When you lose three or four players from a back four to Real Madrid and Liverpool and you reimburse the team and do it in that way it is because they have a lot of good work behind them.”
But despite losing the likes of Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez, Bournemouth crucially held on to star forward Antoine Semenyo. He has scored six goals and set up a further three this season, giving him goal contribution per game played. He has contributed to 38 percent of Bournemouth’s goals, a greater proportion than every player in the league apart from Haaland. The Norwegian is responsible for 65% of City’s goal output this term.
“He is an extraordinary player,” Guardiola said of Semenyo. “It is not just this season. The way Bournemouth play suits him perfectly.”
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