Pep Guardiola announces 'double good news' at Man City

Coach Pep Guardiola provides encouraging news about Erling Haaland and Rodri’s injuries and offers high compliments to the “remarkable player” Antoine Semenyo before the upcoming match against Bournemouth.

Pep Guardiola confirms that both Erling Haaland and Rodri have fully recovered from their injuries and are ready to play in the Manchester City versus Bournemouth game at Premier League at 11:30 PM on November 2nd (Vietnam time).

Haaland caused concern among fans after sustaining an injury during Man City’s 0-1 loss to Aston Villa last week, following a heavy collision with the goalpost in the final minutes. The Norwegian striker then missed the 3-1 victory over Swansea in the Carabao Cup. At that time, Pep Guardiola admitted he was “not sure” if Haaland would be fit in time for the Bournemouth match. However, the Spanish coach reassured fans with a positive announcement: “He is ready to play.”

Meanwhile, Rodri has also recovered from a hamstring injury sustained in the first half of the 1-0 win over Brentford on October 5th. The Spanish midfielder has endured a tough period with multiple injuries since tearing his ACL in September 2024, which caused him to miss nearly the entire previous season.

This season, Rodri encountered muscle issues in the match against Al-Hilal at the Club World Cup and missed the early part of the campaign. Guardiola said he could return in the upcoming game, although it’s uncertain if he will start or play the full 90 minutes: “I think Rodri is ready to help the team. It’s not certain he will start, but hopefully he will be involved. Everyone is eager to play, and we all understand his importance.”

Omar Marmoush, who just returned after two months of recovery, scored his first goal of the season starting against Swansea. Pep Guardiola hopes this will boost the Egyptian forward’s confidence: “For attacking players, scoring always brings great confidence. Hopefully Marmoush will keep improving with each game.” Notably, he previously scored a stunning long-range goal against Bournemouth last season, helping Man City to a 3-1 victory and securing a spot in the Champions League.

The Spanish coach also praised Bournemouth and their manager Andoni Iraola, highlighting the team’s impressive performance as they sit second in the table, just 4 points behind Arsenal and having lost only once in 9 games this season. Despite selling much of their defense and striker Dango Outtara in the summer, Bournemouth maintain strong form with a positive transfer balance of £87 million. Pep Guardiola commented: “They are at their peak. The coordination between the board, sporting director, coach, and players is truly impressive. Even after losing key players, they have kept a clear football philosophy, which shows a very solid foundation behind the scenes.”

Especially, Pep Guardiola highly praises Antoine Semenyo — Bournemouth’s brightest star this season with 6 goals and 3 assists, accounting for 38% of the team’s total goals. “He is an extraordinary player. Not only this season, but Bournemouth’s style of play really suits Semenyo.”

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