Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Manchester City midfielders Rodri and Mateo Kovacic will miss Saturday’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
Rodri has found it challenging to return to full fitness following a significant spell on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament injury last season, playing the full 90 minutes in just two of his eight appearances across all competitions this term.
The 29-year-old has not started a match for Man City since sustaining a hamstring problem in the first half of a 1-0 win at Brentford shortly before October’s international break and missed the next four games before making a late substitute appearance in a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth on November 2.
Since then, Rodri has been left out of Guardiola’s matchday squad for wins over Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, and there was hope from Citizens supporters that the Spaniard could potentially return this weekend after gaining time over November’s international break to build up his fitness.
However, a swift return to first-team action is not on the cards for Rodri, with Guardiola encouraging the midfielder to show patience as he bids to make full recovery.
Steven McInerney / Esteemed Kompany YouTube image
“Rodri knows that he has to take the time to recover”
"Everybody is fit except [Kovacic] and Rodri,” Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of City’s trip to Newcastle on Saturday.
"Rodri is making good steps, it’s almost three weeks since the last setback. He knows that he has to take the time to recover, mentally and especially physically, with the problems that he’s had, to be consistent from now until the end."
Man City will conclude November with a Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen and a Premier League encounter with Leeds United, before facing Fulham, Sunderland and Real Madrid in their first three fixtures of December, but it remains to be seen whether Rodri will feature in any of those.
As for Kovacic, Guardiola revealed at the beginning of the moth that the midfielder “will be out for a while” and Man City “will wait on him for the last part of the season.”
Kovacic has only made two substitute appearances for the Citizens this season since undergoing Achilles surgery in the summer, and it is understood that the Croatian requires another operation after an MRI scan revealed he is suffering from calcification in his heel.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola pictured on October 18, 2025
Guardiola to call upon Gonzalez, Bernardo in absence of Rodri, Kovacic
In the absence of both Rodri and Kovacic, Nico Gonzalez - who scored in the statement 3-0 win over Liverpool a fortnight ago - has impressed at the base of Man City’s midfield in recent weeks and he is expected to retain his starting spot against Newcastle.
Captain Bernardo Silva could also be deployed in a central midfield role, and Guardiola has labelled the Portuguese as “one of the best” players he has had the pleasure to work with.
“Top, high. One of the best. He can do everything,” said the Catalan coach. “He doesn’t score too many goals or is not involved in all the assists. He has never done that, but he gives us and himself something that is not in the stats, and a lot of things that are incredibly valuable to us.
“Absolutely one of the best players I have ever trained in my career.”
Man City currently sit second in the Premier League table and they can move to within one point of leaders Arsenal with a win at Newcastle, before the Gunners lock horns wit North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
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