Haaland a doubt for FA Cup semi due to muscle injury, Guardiola says

MANCHESTER, England : Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is uncertain whether Erling Haaland will feature in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea after his prolific striker asked to leave Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final with a muscle injury.

Guardiola subbed both Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne off ahead of 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.

"Erling felt something, a muscular issue," Guardiola told reporters on Friday. "We will see.

"Kevin felt exhausted, so tired, after five months out injured (at the start of the season), so that's normal."

It is not surprising, Guardiola added, that his players are feeling the effects of a gruelling schedule, which is a byproduct of the team's success.

"It's normal, with the amount of games we've played this season and in the previous seasons," the Spaniard said. "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 atop 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 former City winger Cole Palmer on Saturday at