Erling Haaland Ready for Aston Villa Clash as Maresca Faces Injury Dilemma

Enzo Maresca walked into his Thursday press conference with one clear positive amid a tangle of fitness doubts: Erling Haaland is ready to go.

City’s midweek Champions League outing against AEK Athens had doubled as a damage-limitation exercise. Maresca used it to wrap some of his key players in cotton wool after a bruising win over Ipswich, and to navigate a growing injury list that is beginning to test the depth of his squad.

Haaland, seen limping heavily after the Ipswich game, sat out the Athens tie along with Marc Guehi. Both were given a much-needed breather, a calculated gamble with a demanding trip to Aston Villa looming. Several others didn’t even make the bench, not through rotation but necessity.

Nico O’Reilly, Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic all missed the European fixture as they nurse knocks picked up in quick succession against Ipswich. Their absence has left Maresca planning for Villa with more questions than answers.

At the top of the pitch, though, there is no uncertainty.

“Erling is the only one 100 per cent available,” Maresca said, underlining just how central the Norwegian remains to everything City want to do in the Midlands. Haaland will start if he can walk; this weekend, he can run.

The rest is a puzzle Maresca must solve in a single afternoon training session.

Of Nunes, Kovacic and O’Reilly, the manager admitted all three are racing the clock. “We have a session this afternoon. They can be all available or not. Yesterday they were all improving, and we'll see this afternoon.” No guarantees, no promises, just a manager waiting on medical updates before he dares commit to a shape.

What we do know is that Josko Gvardiol, used at left-back against AEK Athens in O’Reilly’s absence, is expected to keep his place. The Croatian appeared to pick up a knock late on in that game, but Maresca has played down any serious concern, suggesting he will be fine to start again.

On the opposite flank, the uncertainty runs deeper. If Nunes is still not ready, Rayan Ait-Nouri could be handed a rare start on the right of defence. It would be a notable show of trust in a player who has largely watched these big nights from the sidelines.

The real intrigue lies in the front four.

Haaland’s presence through the middle is non-negotiable. Around him, Maresca has options, form, and fitness to weigh. Phil Foden, fresh from a hat-trick on Wednesday night, has a strong claim to stay in the No10 role. He looked at ease pulling the strings there, drifting into pockets, dictating tempo, finishing with ruthless precision.

But Rayan Cherki is due to return to the side and that changes the picture. If Maresca restores Cherki centrally, Foden may be pushed out to the left, where his ability to cut inside and combine could give Villa a different kind of problem. That shuffle would likely see Iliman Ndiaye stationed on the opposite wing, offering direct running and energy either side of Haaland.

One player Maresca cannot call upon is Antoine Semenyo. The forward faces around eight weeks out after suffering a knee injury against Ipswich, a blow that strips City of another attacking option just as the fixtures start to pile up.

So City head to the Midlands with their main striker “100 per cent” and much of the rest of the supporting cast somewhere between hopeful and doubtful. For Maresca, the challenge is clear: build a coherent, dangerous side around Haaland while the medical team works against the clock.