Manchester City star Erling Haaland has been subbed off in his side's clash against Aston Villa with a suspected thigh injury. His withdrawal comes just three days before City take on their Premier League title rivals Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.
The exact extent of his injury is unclear but Sky Sport cameras caught the forward receiving treatment on the side of the pitch after colliding with Emi Martinez. An injury would be a massive blow for City with Haaland relentless in the Premier League this season scoring 25 goals in 20 appearances.
Despite his knock, the Norwegian forward was involved in City's second goal against Villa crossing for Ilkay Gundogan after Rodri had given the hosts the lead. Riyad Mahrez also scored a penalty just before half time, a surprising taker given Haaland, City's usual taker, was still on the pitch.
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Haaland was able to continue until half time but Pep Guardiola made the decision to withdraw his star forward for Julian Alvarez as a precaution with such a huge clash to come next week. City will also be without John Stones, but Ruben Dias played 45 minutes for City which could place him in line for a start against Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta's side dropping points against Brentford opened the door for City to close the gap ahead of their battle in north London. With City cruising to victory against Villa they will move up to 48 points, just three off Arsenal where a win would take them top for the first time this season.
Haaland's availability will of course be crucial to Guardiola not just for the game against Arsenal but also for the rest of the season, with the 22-year-old already scoring more goals than last season's two Golden Boot winners.
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