Rodri ruled OUT of Man City's trip to Burnley due to injury as Pep Guardiola unable to confirm return date for star midfielder

Guardiola has confirmed that Rodri is unavailable for City’s upcoming Premier League fixture against Burnley. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner sustained a groin injury during Sunday's high-stakes win over Arsenal, where he managed 88 minutes before the discomfort became too much to continue.

The midfielder underwent medical assessments earlier this week to determine the extent of the damage. While the immediate focus is on the trip to Burnley, there are growing concerns regarding Rodri's fitness for the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton this weekend. The Spaniard is facing a race against time to be involved in City's final stretch of the campaign, though City have a significant break in their league schedule following the cup tie.

"I think for tomorrow he will not be ready," Guardiola told a pre-match press conference. "We’ll see for next games the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton or 12 days later for the Premier League game at Everton."

With Rodri out of the picture for the immediate future, Guardiola is expected to turn to his squad depth to maintain City's momentum at the top of the table. Nico Gonzalez is the primary candidate to fill the void in the holding midfield role, a task he has handled previously during Rodri's injury absences this term.

The City manager was quick to praise the impact of the deputy, insisting he has full confidence in the squad's ability to adapt. Guardiola noted: "Nico Gonzalez helped us a lot in the absence of Rodri to be where we are now."

Rodri's latest setback adds to a complicated season for the midfielder, who missed a large portion of the first half of the campaign with a hamstring problem. Having only recently returned to his best form after an ACL injury suffered last season, this groin issue represents another frustrating hurdle for the former Atletico Madrid man.

City's selection headaches are further compounded by absences in the defensive line. Ruben Dias has also been ruled out of the Burnley match as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury, leaving Guardiola to reshuffle his backline as the Cityzens look to move back to the summit of the Premier League.