ERLING HAALAND is set to miss out on Manchester City’s FIFA Club World Cup final clash against Fluminese – but not because of an injury.
Pep Guardiola’s Treble winners thumped Japanese outfit Urawa Red Diamonds to book their spot in tonight’s showdown.
GettyManchester City cruised into the final[/caption]
City was impressive as they did it without their goal-machine Haaland who missed out due to a foot issue.
And just as it seemed the Norweigian was in with a chance of returning to the fold.
A bizarre FIFA rule has ruled Haaland out from playing – along with teammates Kevin de Bruyne and Jeremy Doku.
Why is Erling Haaland not allowed to play in the Club World Cup final?
FIFA rules state that no player who was left out of the 23-man squad squad for the semi-final can play any future matches in the competition.
And due to Haaland being omitted from the Urawa Red Diamonds contest, he cannot feature in the final against Fluminese.
It means this will be the fifth consecutive match Haaland has missed after being ruled out for Luton, Red Star Belgrade and Crystal Palace before the Club World Cup.
Kevin de Bruyne and Jeremy Doku are also set to miss out on what could be a momentous occasion in City’s history for the same reason.
What has been said?
Pep Guardiola prefers to focus on the players he does have for the final and highlighted how important this match is for Manchester City.
Speaking after the semi-final win, Pep said: “The players know how important it is for the club.
“To be in this final, you have to do incredible things like win the Champions League. This may be the only time we play this in our lifetime.
“We are there. We will try to win a title we don’t have and finish the circle.”
When is the Club World Cup final?
Manchester City’s Club World Cup final against Fluminese will take place TONIGHT – Friday, December 22.
It is scheduled to get underway at 6pm GMT – 9pm local time.
King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is the allocated arena for this huge match and it can host 62,345 fans.
Real Madrid won their fifth title against Al Hilal in the 2022 final.