Manchester City will be without Rodri again for the Premier League game with Brentford and were also missing Abdukodir Khusanov
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 19: Abdukodir Khusanov and Marc Guehi of Manchester City celebrate with teammate Bernardo Silva after a tackle during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Khusanov drops out of the Manchester City squad
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Ruben Dias returned to the Manchester City squad for their Premier League game with Brentford but fellow centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov dropped out. The Uzbek international had started 10 of the last 11 games in all competitions but will not play any part in Saturday's game after picking up a 'knock in a painful area' against Everton.
City report that Khusanov is not fully fit and misses the contest along with Rodri and Josko Gvardiol to leave Pep Guardiola without three players for a game where the Blues simply have to win to keep their title hopes alive. Khusanov was replaced by Nathan Ake in the starting XI, the Dutchman partnering Marc Guehi; Dias is on the bench along with John Stones.
Tijjani Reijnders comes into the midfield in place of Nico Gonzalez in the only other change to the City team from the 3-3 draw with Everton. Reijnders will offer more in attack but will place more defensive responsibilities on Bernardo Silva as City continue to wait for Rodri to return.
It was after the reverse fixture against Brentford that Rodri was forced to take a longer break. The midfielder pulled up after just 20 minutes in West London and played just three minutes over the next two months as he took more time out to avoid further setbacks.
That decision enabled him to start 11 Premier League games in a row in 2026 as his partnership with Silva helped City propel themselves into title contention. However, the Blues have struggled without Rodri since he picked up an injury towards the end of the 2-1 win over Arsenal last month.