Rodri Faces Fitness Battle as City's Season Intensifies

Rodri faces a fresh fitness battle just as City's season tightens into its decisive weeks.

The midfielder underwent medical tests earlier in the week to assess a groin problem, and the results have cast a shadow over the club’s plans. The immediate concern is the trip to Burnley, but the real anxiety sits a little further down the road: the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton this weekend.

Pep Guardiola has already ruled him out of the next game.

“I think for tomorrow he will not be ready,” the City manager said in his pre-match press conference. “We’ll see for next games the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton or 12 days later for the Premier League game at Everton.”

So the clock is ticking. City are entering the final stretch of the campaign, yet their midfield anchor is again racing time and his own body. The one consolation for Guardiola is the fixture list: after the cup tie, City have a sizable break in their league schedule, a rare pause that might give Rodri the breathing space he needs.

Until then, Guardiola has to improvise.

Nico Gonzalez is expected to step into the holding role, as he has already done this season when Rodri was missing. It’s a demanding job, the hinge on which City’s structure often turns, but the manager has made it clear he trusts his understudy.

“Nico Gonzalez helped us a lot in the absence of Rodri to be where we are now,” Guardiola said, underlining his faith in the squad’s depth rather than dwelling on what he has lost.

For Rodri, this latest issue adds another layer to a bruising campaign. He missed a large portion of the first half of the season with a hamstring problem, then had to claw his way back to top form after an ACL injury suffered last season. Just as he looked like himself again, the groin flares up. Another stop. Another restart. Another hurdle for the former Atletico Madrid midfielder to clear.

And the problems don’t stop in midfield.

At the back, Ruben Dias has been ruled out of the Burnley match as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. His absence forces another reshuffle in a defensive line that has already had to bend and stretch its way through the season.

City go to Burnley still chasing the summit of the Premier League, juggling selection headaches with title ambitions. The question now is not just whether they can cope without Rodri and Dias for a week, but how long they can keep absorbing these blows and still set the pace.