Maresca confirms Haaland fit for Aston Villa as Foden form and three injury doubts dominate City press conference

Enzo Maresca confirmed Erling Haaland is fit to start Manchester City’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa on Saturday, easing concerns after the striker picked up a knock in the 3-2 win over Ipswich Town. The City head coach addressed the media on Friday morning, with injuries and Phil Foden’s resurgent form the dominant themes.

Haaland was not required as a starter in Tuesday’s 5-1 Champions League victory over AEK Athens, with Maresca describing his absence from the starting line-up as precautionary. The Norwegian has played 620 of a possible 630 Premier League minutes this season, and Maresca acknowledged that managing his workload more carefully must become a priority.

Foden was the undisputed star of the AEK win, scoring a hat-trick to take his tally to four goals in two matches — his first of 2026. Maresca was candid in his assessment of the 26-year-old, admitting Foden had not performed to the standard expected over the previous two seasons. Having won the Premier League Player of the Season award in 2023/24, Foden endured a difficult campaign the following year before his form dipped again in the second half of last season. A red card in the Manchester derby compounded a frustrating period, but Maresca expressed hope that the Stockport-born midfielder has now turned a corner.

The press conference also brought updates on three players who missed the AEK Athens squad after picking up knocks the previous weekend. Matheus Nunes, Nico O’Reilly and Mateo Kovacic were all absent from the midweek squad, and Maresca was expected to clarify their availability for the Villa Park fixture. Josko Gvardiol, who was substituted during the Champions League win, was confirmed as fit. Winger Antoine Semenyo remains sidelined and is not expected to return until December.