Erling Haaland and teammates Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku will likely miss the Club World Cup final. This trio watched the semi-final match that Man City won 3-0 against Urawa Reds from the stands due to injury.
FIFA regulations prohibit any player not in the semi-final squad from participating in the final. It was a big blow to Pep Guardiola, who hoped the trio would be fit to play in the final. Man City will meet Fluminense at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In the recent semi-final, Man City took the lead thanks to Marius Hoibraten’s own goal, then Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva set the score 3-0. Before Julian Alvarez came on the bench, they had no real striker because coach Guardiola used Silva to pair with Matheus Nunes in attack.
For his part, Haaland has missed three recent matches after suffering from bone problems in his foot. He flew to Spain last week to be examined and treated by biomechanics specialist John Haddad.
Meanwhile, De Bruyne has returned to training for the first time since August in Saudi Arabia, and Doku hopes to be ready for the next Premier League match against Everton.