Man City rocked by major injury concern - huge boost for Newcastle United
Manchester City are likely to be without Rodri for their clash against Newcastle United this weekend.
In midweek, the Magpies were bolstered by news that Kevin De Bruyne hobbled off at half-time in City’s Champions League draw with Inter Milan. The Belgian changed the game with a goal and an assist after coming on at St James’ Park in January.
Pep Guardiola left De Bruyne out of the 2-2 draw with Arsenal last night. City’s injury woes went from bad to worse when Rodri went down with a suspected knee injury in the first half.
He was subbed after just 21 minutes and the champions soon fell behind before Leandro Trossard’s red card swung the momentum back in their favour. A startling fact is that Man City’s win percentage drops by 21.6 per cent without Rodri in the team.
That setback hands a major boost for Newcastle as they aim to bounce back from Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Fulham. The Magpies have enjoyed several tough battles with City at St James’ Park in recent years.
While Newcastle’s record on the road is poor, fixtures on Tyneside have been even contests. No Rodri gives the Magpies a greater chance of winning the midfield battle - a feat they are yet to achieve this season.
Speaking post-match, Guardiola ominously admitted he “doesn’t know” the severity Rodri’s injury. As for De Bruyne, he failed to make the bench after picking up a knock in midweek.
Guardiola revealed before the game that the Belgian suffered a setback but the injury was not a “big one”. All eyes will be on Man City’s clash against Watford in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, with Newcastle travelling to AFC Wimbledon on the same day.