The forward was brought off at half-time in our most recent pre-season friendly against Barcelona with a muscular issue.
However, the boss said that the Norwegian’s condition was ‘much better’ in his press conference ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
And the Norwegian has been deemed fit enough to start for City in Columbus Ohio, having also been named captain just as he was for our opener against Celtic.
Elsewhere, Guardiola makes one change from the side who started against Barcelona, with Stefan Ortega Moreno replacing Ederson in goal.
Teams
City XI: Ortega, Lewis, Phillips, Gvardiol, Wilson-Esbrand, Kovacic, McAtee, O’Reilly, Bobb, Grealish, Haaland (C).
Subs: Ederson, Carson, Perrone, Wright, Simpson Pusey, Katongo, Ndala, Galvez, Susoho, Oboavwoduo, Mbete, Heskey, Doyle, Fatah, Mfuni, Hamilton, Samuel, Knight.
Chelsea XI: Sanchez, James (C), Tosin, Colwill, Gusto, Lavia, Caicedo, Enzo, Dewsbury-Hall, Nkunku, Mudryk.
Subs: Bettinelli, Jorgensen, Veiga, Acheampong, Chilwell, Fofana, Ugochukwu, Chukwuemeka, Madueke, George, Sterling, Angelo, Broja, Guiu.
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Tactics
Ortega Moreno’s goal will be shielded by a back four, which is expected to have Rico Lewis on the right and Wilson-Esbrand at left-back.
Kalvin Phillips and Josko Gvardiol are expected to start as a centre-back pairing with Mateo Kovacic lining up in front of them in defensive midfield.
Young duo James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly complete the midfield three, with Oscar Bobb and Jack Grealish once again starting out wide.
Haaland, meanwhile, is set to begin proceedings at centre-forward.
Haaland boost
The news that our Norwegian forward is set to start against Chelsea will be welcomed by City fans and Pep Guardiola alike.
Haaland grabbed goals in each of our first two friendlies against Celtic and AC Milan and also had one chalked off against Barcelona which, looking at the replays, had seemingly crossed the line.
With the majority of our first team yet to return to the City Football Academy due to involvement at EURO 2024, the Copa America and the Olympics, having our available senior stars fit and firing in the opening weeks of the season is crucial.
Homegrown talents
Five members of City’s starting XI have come through our Academy ranks in Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand, McAtee, O’Reilly and Bobb.
However, there will be seven of our youth products walking out onto the Ohio Stadium pitch for kick-off.
Chelsea pair Tosin Adarabioyo and Romeo Lavia have also been given the nod by Enzo Maresca, our former EDS Head Coach and First Team Assistant Manager.
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Tosin made eight senior appearances for City having first joined the Club in 2003, making his first team debut against Chelsea in an FA Cup clash at Stamford Bridge in 2016.
Belgium international Lavia, meanwhile, helped our EDS claim successive Premier League 2 titles before making the step up to senior level. He left the Club in 2022 and, after a successful season at Southampton, moved to Chelsea 12 months later.
It’s yet another incredible advert for our youth academy, that continues to produce top talent across the footballing landscape.
Engine Room
The boss has also named an unchanged midfield from the one who locked horns with Barcelona.
Mateo Kovacic looked sharp in Orlando, Florida, with his penetrating run from just outside the City box the spark which led to Grealish’s equaliser.
Further ahead of the Croatian, McAtee once again put on an assured display with his excellent close control and energy helping the team tick over.
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But it was youngster Nico O’Reilly who garnered particular praise from Pep Guardiola, who referenced his ability to play in a more defensive role as well as in his favoured attacking position.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see these three line up once again in our Community Shield clash with Manchester United, so getting another 90 minutes under their belts before then will be invaluable.
