Erling Haaland is “100%” available for Manchester City trip to Aston Villa on Saturday
The Norwegian striker was rested for midweek’s Champions League win against AEK Athens, remaining on the bench throughout, but will lead the line at Villa Park in the midday kick-off.
Asked for an update on the fitness of Matheus Nunes, Nico O’Reilly, Mateo Kovacic and Haaland, City boss Enzo Maresca said: “We have a session this afternoon. They may all be available or not. They were all improving yesterday, and we’ll see this afternoon.
“Erling is the only one 100% available, and the other three have to wait for today’s session.”
I know how good Foden is, says City boss Maresca
Haaland, who is the top scorer in the Premier League with eight goals in seven games this seasonhe is likely to link up with Phil Foden at the weekend with the England midfielder the inspiration behind the hat-trick win against AEK.
Foden has had a difficult couple of years with minor injuries and a bit of indifferent form, but Maresca expects him to return to his best.
He added: “I sat down with Phil two or three times, mostly at the beginning. Just to show, I don’t know if ‘love’ is the right word, how important it is. I’ve known Phil for years, so I know how good he is.
“For various reasons in the last few years it wasn’t good enough, but when you have more players like Phil available, you’re a better team. It’s about improving the players, if you improve the players, you improve the team. So for me, I think it’s my duty to try and help Phil get back to being one of the best players in England.”
Villa may have to contend with a front three of Haaland, Foden and Rayan Cherki after Maresca confirmed the three could play together “according to the game plan”.
Cherki has been another key player in City’s strong start which has seen them win each of their first seven Premier League games. The former Lyon player has four goals and two assists despite it seeming that Maresca has gone crazy.
“At the moment, he is one of the best players in Europe,” said Maresca. “When he’s in the right position, that means when we can find him between the lines, he’s always dangerous. And when he’s inside the box with the quality he has… He’s one of the best players in Europe.
“Sometimes, because he loves the ball and he likes to move so much, most of the time he’s out of position. But when he’s in the right position, he’s always a weapon for us.”
Maresca defends City star Cherki after criticism of display
Cherki received some criticism in midweek for a showboot against AEK, but Maresca had no problem with that.
“I like players when they’re happy, for sure, 100 percent,” he said. “But I also like simple things. In the end, I think the most difficult thing in football is to make things easy, not to complicate things.
“But sometimes you have players as, as good as Rayan, who need to do it. So I’m very happy when he does it, also because I know he’s happy. And if you can do it and allow the team to create chances, it’s better, it’s even better.”
City will head to the Midlands with confidence, but Maresca is wary of a Villa side that have bounced back in recent weeks after a slow start.
He added: “I have a lot of respect for Unai (Emery); he’s done well at all the clubs he’s been at. He’s a fantastic manager, it’s a very good team, you can recognize the team, you can clearly see what they want, very intense off the ball. They’re also, at the moment, in a good mood, winning games. I have respect for Unai and I feel very confident.”
