Man City injury latest: Rodri and Mateo Kovacic | OneFootball

Man City injury latest as Champions League tension rises

Man City’s 3-0 victory over Sunderland at the Etihad finally delivered a first clean sheet since early November, yet the afternoon came with an unavoidable sense of incompleteness. Even as confidence began to resurface through fluent attacking play, the persistent absence of key midfield figures continued to frame the wider conversation. With a daunting Champions League trip to Real Madrid on the horizon, the injury situation surrounding Rodri and Mateo Kovacic remains one of the season’s critical subplots.

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Victory without full strength has become a recurring theme. The club’s ability to dominate rhythmically, to impose Guardiola’s patterns without their central conductor, remains impressive, but the sense of something lacking never truly recedes. Supporters have spent much of the campaign watching excellent performances layered over uncertainty, as the spine of the side struggles for consistency in personnel.

Rodri fitness timeline

Rodri’s season has followed a frustrating rhythm of progress and pause. After tearing his ACL early last season, the Spaniard fought back to return ahead of the Club World Cup, only to encounter renewed complications this term. A hamstring injury sustained against Brentford in October has limited him to just one competitive minute since, that coming during a fleeting return off the bench against Bournemouth on November 2.

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Pep Guardiola’s public updates have remained typically opaque. Before the Sunderland win, he addressed questions over Rodri’s readiness.

Asked whether the Ballon d’Or winner could start, Guardiola replied: “No, but he is getting better.”

Pushed on whether the midfielder would be available for the Champions League meeting with Real Madrid, Guardiola added: “Ask me in Madrid.”

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Such responses mirror the tentative mood within the fan base, hope tempered by the knowledge that setbacks have followed optimism too often this season. Guardiola is expected to expand on Rodri’s progress when previewing the European clash later this week.

Potential return date: Wednesday, December 10 vs Real Madrid (A)

Mateo Kovacic recovery update

Kovacic’s situation has been no less complex. The Croatian began the campaign after undergoing summer surgery to correct an Achilles issue, progress initially gradual but encouraging. However, his rehabilitation appears to have stalled. He has not featured since a thirty minute substitute appearance against Villarreal in the Champions League in late October.

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Further concern followed when Kovacic posted an image on Instagram on December 3, taken at City’s training ground. The midfielder was seen balancing a ball on his head while wearing a protective boot on his right leg and using crutches, a visual reminder that recovery was far from complete.

Guardiola later clarified the nature of the setback, explaining the lingering problem.

“He will be out for a while. He still has a problem with the ankle, a little calcification still there. We’ll wait on him for the last part of the season.”

No timeframe has been attached to Kovacic’s return, leaving his reintegration dependent on the unpredictable rhythm of healing rather than planning.

Potential return date: Unknown

Champions League implications

With Real Madrid away imminent, the picture is delicate. Guardiola’s tactical systems can adapt around absence, yet the stability Rodri offers and the rotation Kovacic provides in midfield remain irreplaceable elements. Until clarity emerges, Man City carry momentum forward layered with uncertainty, the line between resilience and vulnerability as thin as ever.