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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has joked about midfielder Rodri requiring a rest when they face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg on April 17.
The Cityzens are aiming for another treble this season, and much of their potential to achieve it banks on how well Rodri plays. The defensive midfielder has been an integral member of the squad, appearing in 41 games across competitions and logging 3,498 minutes so far this season.
He has missed just five Premier League games for City this season, and notably, the European champions lost four of those. In fact, the midfielder is currently enjoying over 400 days without losing a single game. Clearly, his presence has been crucial for Pep Guardiola, and any absence he has could have a major effect on City's performance in their coming games.
After their first-leg outing against Real Madrid where they drew 3-3, Rodri admitted to being exhausted due to his intense workload. He said (via Eurosport):
“I do need a rest. Let’s see how we speak, how we live the situation. Sometimes it is what it is. I need to adjust. It [rest] is something we are planning, yeah.”
The midfielder was benched during their home game against Luton this weekend, and he did not participate at all, giving him time to rest during the 5-1 win. Afterwards, Pep Guardiola joked about just how much rest Rodri needed, telling the press (via Fabrizio Romano):
“Rodri needed some rest today… and he told me that he will rest on Wednesday against Real Madrid too. Do you believe it?!”
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti discusses second leg tie against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City
After navigating through a tough 1-0 win over Mallorca in La Liga this weekend (April 13), Real Madrid are getting ready to face Manchester City.
However, they will have to play without Aurelien Tchouameni when they take on Guardiola's men, as he is banned after receiving too many yellow cards. Carlo Ancelotti discussed the versatile star's absence after the Mallorca game, telling the press (via Forbes):
"He stands out a lot defensively, because he has a lot of presence. The presence of a tall pivot was important in that sense, because they float a lot of balls to Muriqi. [Antonio] Rudiger and Nacho have also helped."
Ancelotti also confirmed Antonio Rudiger's availability against City, adding:
"I'll write this one down. Rudiger is going to play the second leg."
The Italian manager will be hoping his players can show up at the Etihad Stadium, take the game to Manchester City, and come away with a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
