Manchester City to Remain Without Rodri for Bayer Leverkusen Clash

Pep Guardiola has confirmed that midfielder Rodri will not be available for Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League group-stage match against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday evening.The 28-year-old Spanish international has been sidelined since suffering a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury in September during the Premier League fixture against Arsenal. Despite positive progress in his rehabilitation, Guardiola stressed caution regarding the Ballon d’Or winner’s return timeline.“Rodri is doing very well, but tomorrow he is not ready,” the City manager told reporters on Monday. “He is close, very close, but we don’t want to take any risks. When he is 100%, he will be back with us.”

Rodri’s absence has coincided with a challenging period for the defending Premier League champions. Since the injury, City have recorded only five wins in their last twelve Premier League matches, slipping to fifth place in the table. Statistical analysis from Opta highlights that City’s win percentage drops from 76% with Rodri in the starting eleven to 61% without him since the start of the 2022/23 season.

Guardiola’s side currently sit eighth in the Champions League league phase and need a positive result against Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen to strengthen their position ahead of the knockout play-off round. Mateo Kovačić and Ilkay Gündoğan are expected to continue in central midfield roles.