Man City's Haaland fit again as Guardiola sets sights on Champions League spot

VIDEO SHOWS: PRESS CONFERENCE WITH MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, COMMENTING ON THEIR UPCOMING PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON AND HIS FORMER PLAYER, XABI ALONSO'S, DECISION TO LEAVE HIS ROLE AS BAYER LEVERKUSEN MANAGER/ FILE OF CITY TRAINING

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FEBRUARY 18, 2025) (NICHE MEDIA - Access all)

1. MANCHESTER CITY GOALKEEPER, EDERSON AT TRAINING SESSION

2. FORWARD, OMAR MARMOUSH SHOOTING AND PASSING

3. MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA TALKING TO ASSISTANT MANAGER, CARLOS VICENS

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 9, 2025) (CITY TV - Access all)

4. MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, SAYING:

JOURNALIST ASKING: "Just wondering if Erling (Haaland) is perhaps ready to start?"

GUARDIOLA: "He's ready. Yeah, he's ready. He's fit to start. (We) will decide tomorrow."

JOURNALIST: "Have you had a call from the doctors about Rodri yet about whether he can...?"

GUARDIOLA: "Still he's not available."

JOURNALIST: "And how good is the news about Oscar (Bobb) and Nathan (Ake) back in training?"

GUARDIOLA: "(They) still are not available. (They) started training with us partial(ly) but still are not available."

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FEBRUARY 18, 2025) (NICHE MEDIA - Access all)

5. ERLING HAALAND (HAT), PHIL FODEN, BERNARDO SILVA, AND MATHEUS NUNES JOGGING DURING WARM-UPS

6. PLAYERS INCLUDING FODEN, SILVA AND HAALAND WARMING UP

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 9, 2025) (CITY TV - Access all)

7. MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, SAYING:

"I think there are six, seven teams that can qualify. So, you have to make up the points and after we will... if we make three victories, we will be there. So, it's in our hands. We don't need to wait on anything else. So this is what you have to do: win one game, the next one and the next one."

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FEBRUARY 18, 2025) (NICHE MEDIA - Access all)

8. PLAYERS TRAINING

9. JOSKO GVARDIOL (BEARD) AT TRAINING

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 9, 2025) (CITY TV - Access all)

10. MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, ON HIS FORMER PLAYER AT BAYERN MUNICH, XABI ALONSO'S, DECISION TO LEAVE HIS ROLE AS BAYER LEVERKUSEN MANAGER AT THE END OF THE SEASON, SAYING:

"Well, the impact on Leverkusen (he) has done, (it) has been unbelievable. I think all the managers that we had the opportunity and the pleasure to have him as a player always we realised that (he) will be a manager. And, you know, going to Germany and fight face to face against Bayern Munich, that always is so difficult. And last season was unbeaten except the last game against Atalanta in the Europa League final. And the way they play, the way they improve the players...so... I think Leverkusen have to be so proud for this partnership that they had for just two or three years."

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FEBRUARY 18, 2025) (NICHE MEDIA - Access all)

11. PHIL FODEN WITH BALL

12. DEFENDER, RUBEN DIAS

STORY: Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is in contention to start against Southampton this weekend, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday (May 9) after the Norwegian striker recovered from an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for nearly six weeks.

With 21 goals in the Premier League, Haaland was a contender for the top scorer's Golden Boot award but has slipped to third behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (28) and Newcastle United's Alexander Isak (23).

City are third in the standings with three games left, three points behind second-placed Arsenal and a point above Newcastle.

"(Haaland) is ready, he's fit. If he starts, we decide (on Saturday)," Guardiola told reporters.

"Still Rodri is not available. Oscar (Bobb) and Nathan (Ake) started training with us but still not available."

Southampton sit bottom of the table with 11 points and just two wins all season.

However, the already relegated south-coast club have nothing to lose and Guardiola is not taking them lightly as he looks to consolidate a Champions League spot with Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa all in the mix.

On City's current form, having won four straight games, he said: "It's the best results we've got in a row. In the beginning of the season we did it. In terms of today, we can do better.

Despite their troubles earlier this season, City could still finish second and win the FA Cup but Guardiola is not thinking too far ahead.

(Production: Conal Quinn)