Pep Guardiola insisted Erling Haaland is the "best striker in the world" despite refusing to confirm if the misfiring Manchester City star will start Sunday's crucial clash with Liverpool.
Haaland has scored just twice in his last 12 appearances, and Guardiola elected to drop him to the bench for City's 3-1 win over Newcastle in the League Cup semifinal second leg on Wednesday.
He has suffered a significant loss of form after scoring 19 goals in 14 games in all competitions in a blistering start to the season that included becoming the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals.
City have subsequently struggled during Haaland's dip, falling six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The Norwegian scored when City beat Liverpool 3-0 earlier this season, but Guardiola would not reveal if he will feature against Arne Slot's side this weekend.
"I don't know until tomorrow. But all I say is Erling is the best. Erling is the best striker in the world," Guardiola told reporters on Friday.
SPECULATION MOUNTS
Guardiola side-stepped a question about his own future as speculation mounts that this will be his last season at City, saying: "I have one more year on my contract. It is the same answer I answered two months ago."
The Spaniard signed a two-year contract extension in November 2024 and the deal is due to expire in June 2027.
The 55-year-old also doubled down on his comments about the "hurt" he feels for victims of conflicts in Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan after Jewish community leaders told him to "focus on football".
"To be honest, I didn't say anything special. I think why should I not express how I feel just because I am a manager? So I do not agree but I respect absolutely all opinions," he said.
"What I said basically is how many conflicts there are right now around the globe or around the world. How many? A lot, right? I condemn all of them. All of them."