Premier League leaders Manchester City will be without their midfield maestro, Rodri, for the crucial clash against Newcastle United on Saturday. The news comes as a significant blow to the champions, with their title rivals hoping to exploit the Spaniard’s absence and gain an early advantage.
City confirmed that Rodri sustained ligament damage in his right knee during their dramatic 2-2 draw against Arsenal last Sunday. While no definitive timeline has been set for his recovery, it seems certain that the 28-year-old will be sidelined for several months.
The absence of Rodri, a vital cog in City’s midfield machine, poses a major challenge for manager Pep Guardiola. Statistically, City is a far more formidable force with Rodri on the pitch. City suffered all three of their Premier League defeats last season when Rodri was unavailable. Tellingly, since his arrival from Atletico Madrid in 2019, City has lost seven out of the 21 Premier League games he missed, a loss rate of 33%. In contrast, with Rodri in the starting lineup, City’s loss rate plummets to a mere 10.9% over 174 Premier League appearances.
Guardiola, known for his tactical brilliance, describes Rodri as irreplaceable but acknowledges the need to find a solution. “Last season, we were three months without Erling (Haaland), five months without Kevin (de Bruyne) and we found solutions,” Guardiola stated after City’s 2-1 League Cup victory over Watford.
Newcastle, currently sitting in sixth place, will provide a stern test for City, who have accumulated 13 points from their opening five matches. Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer believes Rodri’s absence could severely impact City’s title aspirations. “There isn’t anyone better in world football than Rodri at what he does, so to have him out for that amount of time is a huge blow to Man City,” Shearer remarked to Betfair. “There’s no doubt that a potential season-ending injury to Rodri will have an impact on Man City’s title hopes.”
Any stumble by City at Newcastle could open the door for rivals like Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal, or even Chelsea to claim the top spot. Liverpool, currently second with 12 points alongside Villa, faces bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers in Saturday’s evening kickoff. Villa will be looking to maintain their strong start as they visit 17th-placed Ipswich Town on Sunday.
Arsenal, sitting in fourth with 11 points, will host Leicester City, one of six teams at the bottom yet to record a victory this season. Arsenal will be without their injured captain Martin Odegaard, while Leandro Trossard is unavailable after his red card against City last weekend. Chelsea, with 10 points, will aim to continue their impressive form as they welcome seventh-placed Brighton and Hove Albion. Manchester United will host Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, completing a weekend of crucial Premier League action.
