Rodri will be sidelined for Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final clash with Southampton this weekend, but manager Pep Guardiola expressed a measured optimism on Friday regarding the Spanish midfielder’s potential return.
The 29-year-old, who endured a lengthy absence of more than seven months due to a cruciate ligament injury in 2024, has also faced several knee and hamstring setbacks this season. He had to leave the pitch during City’s 2-1 victory against Arsenal on Sunday.
He also missed City’s narrow 1-0 win over Burnley on Wednesday, a result that propelled Guardiola’s team to the top of the Premier League table, overtaking Arsenal on goal difference.
“He’s improving,” Guardiola told journalists, emphasising that the club wouldn’t rush the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner back into action.
“We are unwilling to take any risks, as losing him for another five games would be detrimental. Rodri is incredibly important for us.”
Guardiola stated that squad rotation and recovery would be crucial in the closing weeks of the season, as City aims to clinch both the English top-flight title and the FA Cup, having already secured the League Cup last month.
“The match against Arsenal was extremely taxing, both physically and emotionally… the fans had to travel for hours,” the manager noted.
“It’s slightly easier given that we have a good number of players available, aside from Ruben (Dias), Rodri, and Josko (Gvardiol); the rest are fit. But naturally, it’s about mustering that final push.”
“The real question is whether they’ll be ready to play a full 90 minutes or potentially extra time, especially with many players having logged significant minutes recently. That is the key concern.”
Guardiola confirmed that his squad is content to be leading the race for their seventh league title since the 2017/18 season, but their focus remains firmly on Saturday’s encounter with Southampton.
“The players are pleased. However, those who feature less regularly might not share the same enthusiasm. Our sole focus is on the match tomorrow,” he stated.
“Tomorrow promises to be a fantastic day. There are countless thoughts on my mind, but we’ll see how it unfolds.”
Compiled by SportArena.au
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