Pep Guardiola unsure if Rodri will be fit enough to start for Manchester City at Arsenal

UNSURE: Pep Guardiola is unsure if Rodri can start for Manchester City at Arsenal tomorrow given that would be a third game in eight days for the midfielder as he continues to recuperate from a setback to the serious knee injury he suffered against Mikel Arteta’s side 12 months ago.

Pep Guardiola is unsure if Rodri can start for Manchester City at Arsenal tomorrow given that would be a third game in eight days for the midfielder as he continues to recuperate from a setback to the serious knee injury he suffered against Mikel Arteta’s side 12 months ago.

Rodri asked to be replaced an hour into Thursday’s 2-0 Champions League win over Napoli at the Etihad Stadium in order to protect himself. That followed the 29-year-old coming off in the 76th minute of last Sunday’s 3-0 home victory over Manchester United.

“It’s a good question,” said Guardiola when asked after Thursday’s match if Rodri was capable of starting three games in eight days. “He was so smart [asking to come off against Napoli]. I know the result was not over, it was 1-0 then, it is always tricky, but he did not feel good. So we always try to talk [to understand what is best]. We try to sustain his fitness and feel that is not uncomfortable and he is better.

“We see day by day. Yesterday, for example, in the training session he didn’t feel comfortable, he did not feel good, but said: ‘No, no, I’ll be fine tomorrow.’  And he played ­extraordinary. With him on the pitch we feel more comfortable, but of course after injury you have to be alert and we will decide on Sunday how he feels.”

Rodri sustained anterior cruciate ligament damage early in City’s 2–2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on 22 September last year and did not return to action until featuring as a late substitute against Bournemouth on 20 May.

The Spain international’s first start since the injury was in City’s 5-2 victory over Juventus in the Club World Cup this summer – he subsequently hurt the same knee in City’s last-16 defeat by Al-Hilal on 1 July and had to come off on in extra time after entering as a second-half substitute.

Guardiola provided a sarcastic answer when asked about Arsenal’s £250m summer investment in their squad. “Only I want to say to my friend Mikel Arteta – if he wins the title it will be just because he spent, not because he worked a lot on his players,” the 54-year-old said. “It’s like Liverpool – if Arne [Slot] wins the title again, it will be because he spent a lot of money. Right? Because it’s not just at Man City that this happened, right?

“For many, many years every club can do whatever he wants. I know how they’ve been treated is completely different [to City]. So all I can say is they have been wise.”

Arteta, meanwhile, has insisted his Arsenal players have learnt from Myles Lewis-Skelly's mock celebration of Haaland ahead of the game.

Haaland urged Arteta to "stay humble" following a 2-2 draw at the Etihad a year ago before Lewis-Skelly imitated the striker's zen celebration when he scored in Arsenal's 5-1 thrashing of Guardiola's side at the Emirates in February.

Teenager Lewis-Skelly, who has not started a game for Arsenal this season, courted criticism for the celebration.

And when asked if he had spoken to his players about their goal celebrations ahead of Sunday's fixture, Arteta said: "Well that was done, and that's part of it.

"There have been a lot of celebrations or non-celebrations in the past from a lot of teams. The experience is to learn and grow as well and we certainly learnt from that."

Arsenal were without Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Ben White for their midweek Champions League win against Athletic Bilbao in Spain.

And Arteta hinted he could face Guardiola's side without the trio after revealing they are yet to train this week.

He said: "If there is a chance (they will play) it will be after tomorrow's session because they haven't done anything yet. We will have more information tomorrow.

"Everything has been modified so far for them. There are still a few things to clear and we'll have more information on whether they are part of the squad (for City) or if they have a chance to be part of the squad."