Manchester City will face Southampton in the semi-final of the FA Cup this weekend
Rodri of Man City
Rodri will be unavailable for Manchester City's clash against Southampton(Image: GETTY)
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Both Manchester City and Southampton will be without key players when they meet in the semi-final of the FA Cup this weekend. City will take on the Saints at Wembley Stadium with a place in the final up for grabs.
Pep Guardiola’s side go into the game on the back of a 1-0 win over Burnley in the Premier League, a victory that saw City move above Arsenal to the top of the table with five fixtures left to play.
City claimed a victory over Liverpool in the quarter-final to book their spot in Saturday’s semi-final, while Southampton defeated Arsenal in the previous round.
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However, City will have several players on the sidelines for the clash against Southampton due to injury.
Rodri has been ruled out of the match after missing the win over Burnley with a suspected groin injury, with City keeping the midfielder on the sidelines as they hope to have him available for the Premier League run-in.
Guardiola provided an update on Rodri’s fitness ahead of the clash against Southampton, admitting he is uncertain if the City star will be available for the return of Premier League football against Everton next week.
"He's better. We don't want to take a risk,” Guardiola said.
“I don't know yet [if he'll play vs Everton] - hopefully but we don't want to take a risk because if he's injured we will lose him for the next five games and Rodri is so important.”
City will also be without defenders Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol for the match against Southampton as the pair recover from injuries.
Dias has been sidelined with an ankle injury since earlier this month, while Gvardiol has been recovering from a fractured leg since January.
For Southampton, the Championship club will also have players on the sidelines. Midfielder Flynn Downes will miss the fixture as he serves a three-match suspension.
There are also concerns about the fitness of defender Jack Stephens, who was withdrawn from the matchday squad for Southampton’s 2-2 draw with Bristol City in the Championship during the warm-up on Tuesday night.
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