Pep Guardiola looks set to rest Rodri against Monaco in the Champions League tonight.
Manchester City were without the influential midfielder for Saturday’s 5-1 win over Burnley, as the Spaniard complained to Guardiola about pain in his knee.
Taking into account Rodri is slowly easing his way back to full fitness after missing a big chunk of last season with an ACL injury, it was understandable that the Man City manager did not hesitate to leave out the 29-year-old.
Asked for an update on Tuesday, Guardiola said: “He feels much better than before Burnley. He was injured for a long time. Day by day, how does he feel? Today he feels a little bit better so we will see.”
He added: “Now he is not injured but in the tendon, he has difficulty. The week before was so demanding with (Manchester) United, Napoli and especially Arsenal and right now he’s not able to play three games in a week at a top level – top intensity, demanding opponents.
“My feeling right now is he is not ready because he needs time. This type of injury, it is minimum one year and after that you start.”
Rodri took part in Man City’s training session on Tuesday morning which would suggest he will be in contention to face Monaco.
That said, with a trip to Brentford and the international break on the horizon, Guardiola is unlikely to take any chances with the Spaniard and therefore, Nico Gonzalez could get the nod in midfield alongside Tijjani Reijnders.
Phil Foden could be rested to allow for captain Bernardo Silva to line-up against his former club, while the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku are all expected to start.
Rayan Cherki has returned to training ahead of schedule, but this game comes too soon for a start. Omar Marmoush, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Abdukodir Khusanov remain sidelined and Kalvin Phillips is ineligible for squad registration reasons.
Predicted Man City XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Nico, Reijnders; Bobb, Bernardo, Doku; Haaland
Injured: Marmoush, Ait-Nouri, Khusanov
Doubts: Rodri, Cherki
Ineligible: Phillips
Time and date: 8pm BST on Wednesday, October 1, 2025
How to watch: TNT Sports
Venue: Etihad Stadium
