Man City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Rodri won’t be fit to face Newcastle United this weekend.

The 29-year-old suffered a setback after his cameo appearance against Bournemouth at the start of this month. He is being troubled by a hamstring problem, and speaking ahead of the trip to St James’ Park, Guardiola said that the club’s medical staff are being cautious with his recovery:

“Rodri is making steps good, it’s almost three weeks since his last setback. He knows he has to take time to recover well mentally and physically and to be consistent from now until the end.”

Guardiola gave no indication as to whether the Spanish international would be back for the subsequent fixtures against Bayern Leverkusen (in the Champions League) or Leeds United next week.

Expected Return Date – Unknown

Mateo Kovacic

The Croatian international is still suffering from problems related to the Achilles injury he sustained at the back end of last season.

Kovacic underwent surgery in the summer, and he returned to training in late September before making substitute appearances against Everton and Villarreal (in the Champions League).

The 31-year-old was subsequently left out of the matchday squad for the Carabao Cup fourth round tie against Swansea City last month, with Guardiola revealing before the 3-1 win over Bournemouth that he had suffered a setback.

Kovacic still had some calcification left in his ankle, which had complicated his recovery from the Achilles injury. It means that he will need an extended spell on the treatment table to recover. Guardiola has estimated that the midfielder won’t be ready to play before “the last part of the season.” That would indicate he won’t be back before the last international break of the campaign in March.

Expected Return Date – March/April 2026

Read more about the Man City First Team Squad for 2025/26 here