Erling Haaland has been ruled out of Manchester City's trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday through injury.
Haaland, the Premier League's joint-top goalscorer this season, has not recovered from the problem that made him miss Man City's FA Cup semi-final win over Chelsea on Saturday.
“Erling is not ready for tomorrow," manager Pep Guardiola said. “It’s not a big issue but he’s not available."
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But Man City have been boosted by Phil Foden and John Stones being passed fit to play.
Foden reportedly missed training earlier this week, while Stones was forced to come off at half-time of Saturday's FA Cup victory.
Key time in title race
Thursday's match is a huge one in the title race. While Man City have two matches in hand on leaders Arsenal, they have slipped four points off top spot following the Gunners' 5-0 win over Chelsea on Tuesday.
Indeed, Man City could also find themselves four points behind Liverpool, as the Reds are in action in the Merseyside derby at Everton on Wednesday.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
36 | +60 | 83 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
35 | +54 | 82 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
35 | +41 | 75 |
How much will City miss Haaland?
Haaland has scored 20 goals in 26 appearances this season, and a league-leading 56 since moving to Etihad Stadium last summer.
He ranks top among Premier League players this season for a number of attacking metrics.
Haaland in 2023/24 PL
| 2023/24 | Total | PL rank |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 20 | 1 |
| Non-penalty goals | 19 | 1 |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 23.69 | 1 |
| Shots (inc. blocks) | 102 | 2 |
| Shots on target | 48 | 1 |
| Big chances scored | 16 | 1 |
But remarkably, Man City have a better record without him playing than when he does.
Of the 12 matches he has not started since joining, Man City have won 10, drawn one and lost only one.
Man City average 2.6 points per match when Haaland doesn't start, compared with 2.3 points per match when he does.
Man City with/without Haaland
| With Haaland starting | Without Haaland starting | |
|---|---|---|
| Matches | 58 | 12 |
| Wins | 40 | 10 |
| Draws | 11 | 1 |
| Losses | 7 | 1 |
| Goals/match | 2.5 | 2.3 |
| Goals against/match | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Win % | 69% | 83% |
| Points/match | 2.3 | 2.6 |
Unsurprisingly, though, City score fewer goals without Haaland in the starting line-up, but only marginally. They average 2.5 per match with him and 2.3 per match without him.
