Pep Guardiola press conference: Rodri and John Stones fitness latest ahead of Real Madrid | OneFootball

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola spoke to the press on Tuesday afternoon ahead of his side’s monumental UEFA Champions League group-phase clash against Real Madrid.

The Blues saw off Sunderland in a comfortable 3-0 Premier League win at the weekend to close the gap on league leaders Arsenal, who suffered a dramatic 2-1 defeat late on against Aston Villa to add a fresh twist in the title race.

City have turned a corner since their early season slump and look set to challenge Arsenal all the way for what will be a fifth Premier League title in six seasons for Guardiola and co, who finished third in the Premier League last term with a disappointing tally of 71 points.

Mateo Kovacic will remain unavailable for Manchester City against his former club this week, with the Croatia international expected to remain on the sidelines until the spring of 2026 as he recovers after undergoing surgery on his heel in November.

Rodri has been hit and miss with fitness since he made his long-awaited return from an ACL injury in May and after suffering a hamstring pull in early October, the Spain international is yet to feature in the middle of the park since.

Guardiola admitted to concerns over the Ballon d’Or winner’s mental health after Saturday’s win over Sunderland, with the 29-year-old once again missing from the matchday squad as club staff work out when would be the ideal time for the former Atletico Madrid man to be phased back into action.

John Stones was also missing from the bench on Saturday and Guardiola confirmed that the England international had suffered an injury, adding that he did not know when he can expect to have the 31-year-old defender back available.

Speaking in a press conference on Tuesday evening, Guardiola provided an update on his squad’s fitness as City embark upon a fixture that has become the hallmark clash of the UEFA Champions League in recent times.

Guardiola was coy in his description of Stones’ recent injury, only stating that the centre-half has an issue in his leg. “I don’t know yet,” the Catalan added when probed on the extent of the fitness setback and when the Barnsley-born star could be back in action.

Manchester City suffered a gutting 2-0 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen last time out in the UEFA Champions League as goals from Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrik Schick inflicted a damaging loss on a Blues side that witnessed 10 changes to the starting XI.

City sit in ninth place in the group-phase standings ahead of Wednesday’s battle with fifth-placed Real Madrid and there is little room for error for the Blues against Xabi Alonso and co, who are also at a nascent stage of their transition under the newly-appointed manager.

Madrid are dealing with a long list of fitness concerns, with Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy, Dean Huijsen, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba all set to miss City’s visit. Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga missed open training on Tuesday and are also serious doubts for the fixture.