Erling Haaland has eased fears over his fitness by training ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash with Young Boys.
The prolific Norway striker has been a doubt for the Group G clash at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday after twisting his ankle against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Haaland, who has scored 13 goals this season, showed no obvious sign of discomfort as he participated in a training session open to media on Monday afternoon.
Earlier in the day manager Pep Guardiola had said the 23-year-old would be given every opportunity to prove his fitness and that Sunday’s trip to Chelsea would not influence his thinking.
“Yesterday he told me he felt much better than the day of the game but I don’t know,” said Guardiola at a press conference.
“I will listen to the doctors and himself. If he says he is ready and does not have pain I will consider to let him to play because from Tuesday to Sunday there’s a lot of days to recover.”
After winning their opening three games in the competition, Champions League holders City can secure their place in the last-16 with a second victory over the Swiss champions following their 3-1 success in Bern last month.
“Tomorrow we have to try to do it, to finish it,” Guardiola said. “There will be more opportunities, but we have the chance to finish and qualify for February, for the next stage, and it means a lot for the club.
“Being there is a success and every time we qualify is really good.”
Reaching the next stage at the earliest opportunity would potentially allow Guardiola to rotate his squad and prioritise the Premier League fixtures against Liverpool and Tottenham that sandwich their next European outing against RB Leipzig on November 28.
Guardiola, however, maintains there will be no easing up before top spot in the group has been finalised.
He said: “We are not (definitely) first. To try to be first, to have the chance to play the second game (of the last-16 tie) at home, that definitely is better.”
Guardiola, who was speaking to media to preview the Young Boys game, was also quizzed on the Premier League’s latest VAR controversy.
Arsenal branded the standard of officiating in the competition as “unacceptable” over the weekend after they lost to a contentious goal at Newcastle.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta had said the decision to allow Newcastle’s winner, after a triple VAR check, was an “absolute disgrace”.
Guardiola said: “The emotion after the game, it is difficult for the managers right after we finish, being here and talking about the feelings. It’s difficult to handle it.
“But I’m talking for myself. I’m not talking for Mikel or for any other manager.
“It’s so sensitive an issue right now. It’s difficult for the referees too, for everyone. Honestly I don’t have a clear opinion.”
Guardiola was joined for pre-match media duties by Rico Lewis.
The 18-year-old defender or midfielder was recently described by Guardiola as “one of the best” young players he has trained.
Lewis said: “It’s quite difficult to comprehend that someone like that would say something like that about myself. Obviously it’s an amazing comment, but I’ve got to carry on doing what I can do.”
Dortmund boss Terzic not surprised by Sancho's quality
Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said he was not surprised by Jadon Sancho's quality after the on-loan forward helped the German side to a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first-leg tie of their Champions League semi-final.
Sancho joined Manchester United from Dortmund for 85 million euros ($91.11 million) in August 2021 but failed to hold down a regular spot and returned to Germany after becoming embroiled in a row with manager Erik ten Hag.
After impressing on the right wing against PSG, Terzic said he always sees Sancho's quality in training.
"It's maybe not so easy to bring it onto the field, especially when you haven't had rhythm for a while," he told reporters.
"We know his quality, and we saw it again today. We knew we needed a performance like that from Jadon."
Dortmund bagged the winner in the 36th minute through Niclas Fullkrug to take a slim advantage going into Tuesday's return leg in Paris.
Despite winning the first leg, Terzic knows that the tie is still all to play for in the second leg.
"We showed a very good game, a narrow win but a deserved one. It was a great teamwork performance that got us there. We wanted that small advantage. We know next week will most likely be tougher than today," he said in a press conference.
"This is just half-time and next week will be a different story. It won't be easy to deal with their power play in front of a home crowd. We felt it today from the 45th to the 60th minute.
"We felt their quality. We showed our best game against PSG, but next week they will have a euphoric backing of their fans, and they will want to turn the tie around.
It is a victory that, coupled with Bayern Munich’s draw with Real Madrid on Tuesday, secures Germany a fifth automatic Champions League spot next season.
"We wanted to qualify for the Champions League through the Bundesliga and not this way. But the fact that it will be enough to qualify as fifth is also partly down to our success, our contribution," Terzic added.
"Our minimum goal was to qualify for the Champions League. Now it [added spot] does not improve our Bundesliga season, but it does offer a softer landing."
Luis Enrique hoping for home comforts in semi-final second leg
Luis Enrique is hoping Paris Saint-Germain's home support proves the difference in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Borussia Dortmund.
PSG must try to overturn a 1-0 deficit when BVB visit the Parc des Princes next week.
Dortmund's Niclas Fullkrug fired in a first-half goal to seal victory over visitors PSG, who had more possession throughout Wednesday's game but could not take their chances at Signal Iduna Park.
While PSG beat Barcelona in the quarters and Real Sociedad in the last 16, playing the second leg away both times, Luis Enrique knows their home fans could be crucial if they are to reach the final at Wembley on June 1.
"We saw an even match with two teams that play good football when they have the ball," Luis Enrique told reporters.
"We both created many scoring chances. This time our opponents scored and we didn't. The result reflects how close the game was.
"In the last two rounds, they had the home game as their second game, whereas it was the other way round for us. Now it's a different and new scenario, we'll have the crowd on our side in the second leg.
"I would have liked to create the chances we have created, but you have to be effective to score. We'll see what version we show in Paris."
Despite creating more chances after the break, PSG lost without scoring for the first time across all competitions this season.
"We missed our chances in the second half," PSG defender Achraf Hakimi told Canal+.
"We knew what they were going to do, with long through balls. We were very focused, the coach repeated it all week."
PSG have progressed from two of their previous four Champions League knockout ties when losing the first leg, with the first of those coming against Dortmund in the last 16 in 2019-20.
"We've come back from 1-0 down before," added PSG captain Marquinhos.
"We've shown that we can do it, especially at home, with the energy of our supporters, it's going to be a different scenario. We know we can do a lot better. We just need to take our chances and be more decisive.
"We conceded a goal that we shouldn't have conceded, and we've been talking all week about these deep passes from this Borussia team. It's the details that make all the difference, and we're going to do better in the next game if we want to go through."
Hayes concedes title race is over as Chelsea suffer dramatic Liverpool defeat
It has been a difficult week for Chelsea and their boss Emma Hayes.
After seeing their Champions League dreams dashed by holders Barcelona on Saturday, they had no margin for error when they travelled to Liverpool in the Women's Super League on Wednesday.
Six points behind Manchester City with two games in hand but an inferior goal difference, the Blues needed three points to stop Hayes' final season in charge from totalling unravelling.
But there was to be no respite for the Blues, who were at one point tipped for a quadruple but have been stuck in a downward spiral since losing Sam Kerr to an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the winter break.
Matt Beard's Liverpool put on a tremendous display to win 4-3, with Gemma Bonner scoring a stoppage-time equaliser to leave Hayes certain the title is out of reach.
"I think the title is done," she said after Wednesday's game.
"Of course mathematically it's not, but I think the title is done. Our job between now and the end of the season is to keep pushing until the end, but I think it will be very difficult.
"This team has done a tremendous job in my time here to push for titles.
"I don’t know if we have ever conceded four goals in a half before. Three from set pieces is just unforgivable. But I'm going to credit Liverpool."
Chelsea now need an almighty collapse from City, who may only require three points from their remaining two matches to seal the title, if their goal difference advantage holds firm.
Hayes believes fighting on multiple fronts has not helped her team, adding: "We looked exhausted but I don't want to make excuses.
"I want to remind our fans how much success we have brought over the years. It's just not to be this year."
Next up, Chelsea face relegated Bristol City in their final home game before Hayes departs to take the United States job, with City taking on Arsenal in Sunday's headline fixture.
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