Man City counting the cost of Rodri card trick! Champions League final hero set to serve another ban – and Pep Guardiola’s side are not the same without him

The 27-year-old, who netted the winning goal for City in the 2023 Champions League final, found himself in the referee’s notebook once again in Sunday's Premier League meeting with Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium. He was cautioned during the first half of that contest for a foul on Pedro Porro.

Rodri now has five bookings for the season, meaning that he must complete a one-match ban. He will be unavailable to Pep Guardiola for a trip to Aston Villa on Wednesday. Jack Grealish also entered the book in the second half, meaning he too will be absent for the trip to Villa Park. As a result, City will be forced into a tactical switch.

Guardiola will need no reminding that his side, for all of their obvious qualities, are not as formidable when Rodri is out of action. He has already served a three-match suspension this season after being shown a straight red card against Nottingham Forest in September.

City lost all three of the games that Rodri missed on that occasion – a Carabao Cup clash with Newcastle and Premier League outings against Wolves and Arsenal – and the Sky Blues will be hoping that trend does not continue as they remain hot on the Gunners' heels in another top-flight title race.