Man City’s Rodri will miss Villarreal and Villa matches, says Pep Guardiola

Manchester City will be without midfielder Rodri for games against Villarreal and Aston Villa this week as the Spanish midfielder continues his recovery from a hamstring injury, manager Pep Guardiola said

The 29-year-old, who missed most of last season as he recovered from a serious knee injury, limped off in the first half of City’s 1-0 win over Brentford on October 5 before withdrawing from the Spain squad for the World Cup qualifiers.

He also missed City’s 2-0 home win over Everton on Saturday.

«I don’t think so for Villarreal or Aston Villa,» Guardiola told the British media. “It’s not long, but it’s muscular and you have to be careful.

«We’ve tried so many times, we’ve tried not to take any risks, but we haven’t succeeded. So we’ll see.»

City travel to Rodri’s former club Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday before facing Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

Guardiola’s team is second in the league with 16 points after eight games, three points behind leaders Arsenal.

Published on October 20, 2025