Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Rodri will not be in the Manchester City squad for this weekend’s clash with Chelsea.
The Premier League champions open their title defence with a trip to face Chelsea on Sunday but will be without the services of Rodri at Stamford Bridge.
The 28-year-old was given an extended break after winning Euro 2024 with Spain in the summer and will not be a part of the matchday squad in West London.
“He is in training, I don’t know, I haven’t seen him yet. He feels good. We’ll have to see how he feels after training. No chance [on the squad for Sunday],” Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference.
Rodri’s absence is a big blow to the Citizens, who have not lost a league game with the Spaniard in the side since February 2023. The midfielder missed four Premier League games in 2023/24, with City losing three times.
Guardiola also have an update on Joao Cancelo’s situation after the defender returned from a loan spell at Barcelona. He confirmed the Portugal international could be reintroduced into his squad for the upcoming campaign.
“He’s training with us, yes, we will see. Maybe stay, maybe go on loan. He loves to play football and train, we will see. It can happen, yes. In training, we say hi and we talk.
“What is going to happen depends on his agent. In the end, we have to say we will treat him like all the other players – with respect and do the best with the amount of qualities he has. I have never doubted his quality, but we will have to see what happens.”
