Manchester City will be sweating on the fitness of their midfield maestro, Rodri, for the FA Cup semifinal against Southampton FC. Rodri suffered a groin injury in last weekend’s monumental win over Arsenal, and it forced to miss out on the midweek win over Burnley FC.
The last update Pep Guardiola gave on the situation was Tuesday: “We’ll see for next games the FA Cup semi-final vs Saints or 12 days later for the PL game at Everton.”
FA Cup Semifinal FYIs
Southampton FC vs Manchester City
Kick: Sun. Apr. 26, 5:15pm, Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Other FA Cup Semifinal, Chelsea vs Leeds, Match Preview: go here
Team News for Both Sides
We’ll just keep Rodri in the “doubt,” not “out” or “in” category for this one. Elsewhere Josko Gvardiol (tibial fracture) is still pushing for a May return, so he’s a couple weeks away. However, Ruben Dias (ankle) still holds an outside chance of featuring in this one.
As for Southampton FC, Jack Stephens is a major doubt here, after he pulled out of the starting lineup before the midweek draw with Bristol City. Stephens suffered a calf issue during prematch warm-ups. Elsewhere Mads Roerslev (Achilles) and Alex McCarthy (wrist) remain sidelined as longer-term injury absentees.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.