Man City and Chelsea to square up in FA Cup semi-final at Wembley

Erling Haaland is a doubt for Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea later (Saturday 20th).

The Norwegian striker was surprisingly substituted prior to extra time of the Champions League quarter-final loss to Real Madrid on Wednesday.

For Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino thinks Cole Palmer will go into the game with nothing to prove to his former employers, insisting he is the right manager to help the 21-year-old continue his stunning rise.

Palmer, who left City in a £42.5million deal in the summer, is joint top-scorer in the Premier League after his four goals in Monday's 6-0 demolition of Everton moved him level with City's Erling Haaland on 20 for the season.

"Niggles"

Man City manager Pep Guardiola revealed after the Real Madrid game that 23-year-old Haaland had asked to be withdrawn, but didn't give a reason why.

Speaking on Friday, Guardiola confirmed the forward had suffered an injury but didn't give much indication as to how serious, saying:

"We will see. It was a tough game, a lot of action, high intensity for both sides.

"Erling felt something, a muscular issue. That's why he told me he could not continue.

"The (doctor) said he had a little bit of niggles, a little problem, we will see how his evolution is in the next hours."

In a more positive update, Guardiola confirmed playmaker Kevin De Bruyne "feels well" having been taken off during extra time against Real for nothing more serious than exhaustion.

"High intensity"

Guardiola feels, given the schedule, it is understandable that players would be tired at this stage of the season.

He said: "It's normal with the amount of games we are playing this season and the previous seasons and not much recovery, and extra time and high intensity.

"We put a lot of pressure in our game and that's why the fatigue is there. They are human beings. They are not a machine. We are used to it."

The agonising penalty shoot-out defeat by Real ended City's hopes of winning the treble for a second season in succession.

Yet they remain on course to repeat the domestic double and Guardiola is determined to bounce back from the midweek heartache.

He said: "We don't have another option. I don't want us to feel sorry for ourselves.

"In football, you lose games. We performed at our best and we were not able to win. You have to accept it.

"We did everything. We know it, they know it, all the world know it, but it was not enough. When it's not enough, it's a bad night."

"Still young"

Chelsea's Cole Palmer has netted an incredible seven times in the team's last two home games, including a hat-trick in the 4-3 win over Manchester United when two of his goals came in stoppage time.

He previously scored from the penalty spot in the fifth minute of added time to snatch a point in a 4-4 draw when City visited west London in November.

Palmer has previously said his decision to leave the champions - for whom he scored twice in August in the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup - was based on the belief he would get more first-team game time at Chelsea.

That decision has been thoroughly vindicated, with his performances for Mauricio Pochettino's frustratingly inconsistent side placing him in the running for the PFA Player of the Year award.

His odds on winning the award have been slashed by as much as half with some bookmakers since his Everton haul.

But his manager said there was no chance the England international would face City with an axe to grind.

"It's his first consistent season playing, we need to be careful because he's still young, he's growing," said Pochettino.

"He's already played twice (against City) in the Premier League. He's very grateful for Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola. He always talks very highly of them.

"He's not the type of player that has something inside (to prove). He understood perfectly that for different reasons he wanted to prove himself in another club.

"He's not the type of person to wants to prove something against his former club."