Haaland available for Man City game at Southampton

MANCHESTER, England: Prolific striker Erling Haaland is available to play Saturday when Manchester City visit last-place Southampton, manager Pep Guardiola said Friday. The Norway international returned to training this week after a groin injury forced him to miss City’s 4-1 victory over Liverpool last weekend. Guardiola confirmed Haaland will be in the squad for the Premier League game ahead of a visit from Bayern Munich for a Champions League first-leg quarterfinal match on Tuesday.

“(He) trained in the last two days, really good. (He) will be ready,” Guardiola said at a news conference. The Spanish manager said the Champions League game has no bearing on how much Haaland will potentially play against Southampton.

“Bayern Munich is the last thought. It’s Southampton. Premier League is every day, every week,” Guardiola said.

Haaland, who has scored 42 goals in all competitions this season, had to withdraw from his country’s European Championship qualifiers against Spain and Georgia two weeks ago because of the injury. Haaland leads the Premier League scoring charts with 28 goals and has hit nine in his last three games in all competitions. City trail first-place Arsenal by eight points.