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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued an update on Rodri’s fitness ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final tie with Southampton at Wembley.
Rodri suffered a calf injury in the dying minutes of Manchester City‘s 2-1 win over Arsenal in the Premier League last week, ruling him out of Wednesday’s 1-0 victory away at Burnley.
City returned to the top of the Premier League courtesy of a sole Erling Haaland strike at Turf Moor, though they remain level on points and goal difference with Arsenal.
Manchester City vs Southampton (FA Cup Semi-Final): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How to Watch
What are Man City’s injury concerns this weekend?
The Blues continue to miss Ruben Dias, who suffered a hamstring injury in the days leading to City’s Carabao Cup final triumph over Arsenal in March and is yet to return to fitness.
Josko Gvardiol is stepping up rehabilitation as he closes in on a return to action after undergoing surgery on a tibial fracture sustained on his right leg in January.
In a press conference on Friday afternoon, Guardiola provided a fitness update on Rodri and whether the 29-year-old is in line to feature in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final.
Pep: Rodri not ready for Southampton, unsure about Everton
Guardiola confirmed that Rodri will remain unavailable for Manchester City against Southampton at Wembley but that the Ballon d’Or winner is ‘better’.
“We don’t want to take risks,” the Manchester City manager said on Rodri, who is also negotiating a new contract at the Etihad Stadium.
Asked whether Rodri could be back in time for Manchester City’s tricky league trip to face Everton next week, Guardiola added: “I don’t know yet. Hopefully, but we don’t want to take risks because if he’s injured, we’ll lose him in the next games. Rodri is so important.”
Predicted Starting Line-Up: Manchester City vs Southampton (FA Cup Semi-Final)
Who will replace Rodri in midfield at Wembley?
It was Rayan Ait-Nouri who came in for Rodri against Burnley as Nico O’Reilly moved up to midfield and the Algerian left-back joined a backline that has only conceded once in its last five outings in all competitions.
However, Nico Gonzalez is long due a start and is likely to start in the middle of the park for Manchester City at Wembley after Guardiola hinted after the win at Turf Moor that he is likely to shuffle his pack in London.
The Manchester City manager admitted that he was in two minds over his selection against Burnley as his players were feeling the after-effects of a long 90 minutes against Arsenal last week – as the Blues progress their quest for a domestic treble.
