Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was blunt about it- his side is going to be missing several key players on Wednesday night, for a whole host of reasons. Rodri picked up two yellows (which obviously equals one red card) in less than a minute against Bodo/Glimt last week.
So Rodri is thus suspended for this week’s Champions League clash, against Galatasaray.
UCL League Phase Finale
Matchday 8 of 8 Manchester City versus Galatasary
Kickoff: Wed Jan 28, 8pm, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
Manchester City Transfer Talk: go here
UCL Standing, Form: Manchester City 11th, 13 pts WWLWL Galatasaray 17th WWLLD
Win Probability: Manchester City 79% Draw 13% Galatasaray 8%
Man City Team News
Meanwhile their two winter window signings, Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo, were not with the club at the time of registration for this stage for the competition. Hence they are ineligible to feature.
“I know Marc (Guehi) cannot play, Antoine (Semenyo) cannot play, Rodri cannot play, apart from all the players that we have sidelined,” Guardiola said.
And about those players who are sidelined, due to injury, Pep ruled out three of them: “Nico Gonzalez will not be ready and Savinho will not be ready and John Stones will not be ready.”
So right there, you have six players confirmed out, plus we haven’t even covered the longer-term injury absentees yet: Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Dias and Oscar Bobb.
So that’s ten players unavailable for selection here.
No wonder Guardiola called on the home crowd to help push them through to victory in this one (although to be fair, City are obviously strong favorites over the Turkish side).
“We need our fans,” the Catalan explained. “We need them.”
Even with a win, a top eight spot is not guaranteed. City would still need some help, in order to avoid the playoff qualifier.
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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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.