Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Rodri is set to start against RB Leipzig on Wednesday night.
While the £62.8 million (Independent) man remains suspended against Arsenal, his three-match suspension only applies to domestic games.
As a result, Pep Guardiola has suggested (via Manchester Evening News) that he has not hesitated in his decision to have set Rodri aside as an automatic starter for Manchester City against RB Leipzig.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola confirms Rodri will start against RB Leipzig
Branded as an ‘extraordinary holding midfielder’ by Guardiola himself, there has been constant discourse around how the former Atletico Madrid lynchpin’s absence will affect City against Arsenal.
After all, one could argue that the treble-winner is the Sky Blues’ most irreplaceable player.
So much so that Pep Guardiola has already decided that Manchester City anchor Rodri will slot straight back in against RB Leipzig.
“Of course. You always have to take the positive and Rodri’s going to play tomorrow, and then I’ll give him a rest to Madrid for a few days before joining the national team”, he said.
Rodri should be benched in the Champions League
While one can understand why Pep Guardiola is keen on his countryman making a return to his Manchester City side against RB Leipzig, it may not be the wisest decision.
The reason being that whether it be Kalvin Phillips, Mateo Kovacic or Matheus Nunes as his replacement against the Gunners, either of the trio would not get a game under their belt to learn their responsibilities ahead of the high-stakes affair.
Rodri is likely to be typically excellent for Manchester City at the Red Bull Arena but in his absence, which midfielder comes in and is expected to perform to a similar standard against Arsenal?
That still remains a mystery and the upcoming game against Leipzig should instead be viewed as an audition to test out the midfield dynamics that would be utilised against Mikel Arteta’s side.
