Erling Haaland will miss Manchester City’s FA Cup fourth round clash with Salford this afternoon.
Haaland emerged as a doubt for the cup tie after being substituted at half-time against Fulham in midweek after scoring in the comfortable 3-0 home win.
Pep Guardiola revealed afterwards that the forward had suffered a knock and delivered an update in the pre-match press conference.
“Erling’s not 100 per cent but we’ll see today how he feels,” the Man City boss said.
“It’s not a big issue, the doctor said to me. But had some disturbance before and during the game and that’s why second half he didn’t play. We will see his evolution.“
As the Premier League title race intensifies and City set for a week off following the FA Cup showdown, Haaland is one of several star players rested against the League Two side.
Omar Marmoush has been selected to lead the line in Haaland’s absence. The Egypt forward scored twice in a recent cup tie success over Newcastle and should fancy his chances of adding to his goal tally for the season.
Elsewhere, James Trafford gets the nod in goal as first-choice goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is on the bench alongside Ruben Dias, Rodri, Antoine Semenyo and Matheus Nunes.
Marc Guehi has also been named on the bench. The defender is eligible to feature for Man City in the FA Cup despite playing in Crystal Palace’s shock third round exit to Macclesfield FC.
John Stones is back in the Man City team following injury and captains the side.
Ryan McAidoo scored in the 10-1 decimation of Exeter in the last round and could be handed some more first-team minutes here.
Confirmed team news
Man City XI: Trafford, Khusanov, Stones, Alleyne, Ait-Nouri, Nico, Lewis, Reijnders; Foden, Cherki, Marmoush
Substitutes: Donnarumma, Dias, Guehi, Rodri, Nunes, O'Reilly, Semenyo, McAidoo, F. Samba
