Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is uncertain whether star striker Erling Haaland will feature in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea after he asked to leave Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final with a muscle injury.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Guardiola replaced both Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne before extra time in a surprise move in City's penalty shootout loss to Real Madrid that extinguished their hopes of capturing the treble for a second successive season.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's match at Wembley, Guardiola gave little further detail on Haaland's injury other than saying: "Erling felt something, a muscular issue. We will see."
On De Bruyne's condition, he added: "Kevin felt exhausted, so tired, after five months out injured (at the start of the season), so that's normal."
Guardiola believes his players are feeling the effects of a gruelling schedule, which is a by-product of the team's success.
He said: "It's normal, with the amount of games we've played this season and in the previous seasons. There's not much time for recovery, we played extra time and the intensity we play. We are not machines, the fatigue is there."
City had appeared on pace to become the first team in history to win the treble - Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League - twice before Wednesday's defeat at the Etihad.
They are still on course for the double, having taken a two-point lead in the league standings last weekend with six games remaining.
Asked how his team can move on from their Champions League heartbreak, Guardiola said: "We don't have an option, we can't feel sorry for ourselves. We don't have time to reflect, we'll do that in the summertime. You compete to win, but sometimes you lose games, and that's what happened."
Guardiola's men will face their former winger Cole Palmer at Wembley. The 21-year-old, who moved to London last summer, hit four goals in Chelsea's 6-0 rout of Everton on Monday that drew him level with Haaland as the league's top goalscorer on 20 goals this season.
Guardiola said: "He's an exceptional player, we knew when he was here. I've said many times, I didn't give (him) the minutes that maybe he deserved and now he has at Chelsea. I understand completely.
"He's a shy guy with a lot of potential. It is what it is. He's playing fantastically well. But he was asking for two seasons to leave. I said 'no, stay'. But he still said 'no, I want to leave'. What could we do?"
Manchester United, who lost to City in last season's final, take on Championship side Coventry City in the second semi, at Wembley on Sunday.
Australian Associated Press
