Rodri was ruled out of the FA Cup semi-final, Guardiola was wary of a hasty midfielder

Rodri will miss Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final against Southampton this weekend, but manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday he was cautiously optimistic about the midfielder’s return.

The 29-year-old, who missed more than seven months after suffering a cruciate ligament tear in 2024 and has suffered multiple knee and hamstring injuries this season, was forced off during City’s 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday.

He also missed City’s 1-0 win over Burnley on Wednesday, which moved Guardiola’s side to the top of the Premier League ahead of Arsenal on goals scored.

“He is better,” Guardiola told reporters, but said the club would not rush back the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner.

«We don’t want to take any risks because if he gets injured we could lose him for the next five games. Rodri is so important.»

Guardiola said rotation and recovery would be crucial in the final weeks of the season, with City focused on securing the league title along with the FA Cup as they look to complete a domestic treble after winning the League Cup last month.

«It was so emotionally demanding, the match against Arsenal. The players were so tired and they traveled for hours,» the manager said.

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«It is easier because we have many players available. Except for Ruben Dias, Rodri and Josko Gvardiol, the rest are fit. But of course you feel that this is the final push.»

«The question is whether they will be ready to play 90 minutes or even extra time, with a lot of players having heavy minutes in their legs. That is the question.»

Guardiola said his players were happy to be leading the title race but remained focused on Saturday’s match against Southampton.

«They are happy. The players who don’t play so much, not so much. We are just focusing on tomorrow’s match,» he said.

«Tomorrow will be a big day. There are a lot of thoughts, but we’ll see tomorrow.»

Published on April 24, 2026