Pep Guardiola confirms Man City will be without Rodri for Sunderland clash | OneFootball

Manchester City are preparing to face Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow.

The Black Cats have been the surprise package of the season, and their performances against Chelsea and Arsenal give City an idea of what to expect on Saturday.

City have yet to hit their stride this season, and they cannot afford to take Sunderland lightly.

To make matters worse, Guardiola has confirmed Rodri’s hamstring injury will keep him out of the game.

Guardiola confirmed Rodri’s absence during his pre-match press conference. “No,” he said. “He’s getting better. I don’t know how long [until he’s back], but he will be ready.”

Saturday’s meeting will be the first time Sunderland have visited the Etihad in the Premier League since Guardiola’s debut season in 2016/17.

The Black Cats have taken the Premier League by storm this season, racking up 23 points from their opening 14 games.

They sit sixth in the Premier League table but are just one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea and five adrift of Saturday’s hosts.

They’ll visit the Etihad on the back of an impressive 1-1 draw against Liverpool, and Guardiola knows his side can’t afford to underestimate the weight of the task ahead.

“All I can say from my opinion is that they deserve to be where they are,” he added. “When you are promoted, and you play well for five games, okay momentum. It can happen.

“But for 14 fixtures in the Premier League with the opponents like everyone suffers to take results in that position they deserve.

“They do it well, otherwise they won’t be where they are. It’s a good challenge for us.”

Guardiola also addressed City’s leaky defence, having conceded six goals in their last two games (four versus Fulham and two against Leeds United).

“Of course I’m concerned,” Guardiola said. “We did good things and try to understand why we conceded goals and [why we were not as good] as we were in the first half.

“Huge respect for Fulham, and we scored five goals there, but sometimes, of course, we see what happened [but it is] part of our growth mistakes [and part of] the process. We need to accept it.”