Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is unsure whether Rodri will be fit for the FA Cup final against Chelsea, which takes place amid a backdrop of continued speculation around his future following reports that two key assistants are preparing to leave the club.
Guardiola will hope to lead City to their second Wembley victory of the season on Saturday as they seek to add the FA Cup to the EFL Cup they won back in March.
But they could again be without Rodri, the midfielder having missed the last five games with a groin injury sustained in last month’s 2-1 win over Arsenal.
Asked if Rodri will be fit, Guardiola told his pre-match press conference: “We’ll see. We’ll travel, and we’ll see.”
Guardiola was similarly cryptic when pressed on reports that fitness coach Lorenzo Buenaventura, who has worked with the City boss for over 15 years, and goalkeeper coach Xabi Mancisidor are set to leave.
“No, I extend the contract of all of them, three more years,” Guardiola said after being asked about the reports and what they could mean for his own future.
Asked if that was really the case, Guardiola replied: “No.”
Guardiola not thinking about Bournemouth clash
City have reached the FA Cup final in each of the last four seasons but have suffered defeat in each of the last two, losing to Manchester United and Crystal Palace.
They will be heavy favourites to beat a Chelsea side led by interim boss Calum McFarlane, though with the game coming three days after a Premier League win over Palace and three days before a trip to Bournemouth, the timing is far from ideal for City.
“There’s excitement, of course. I hope we can do better than the last two times,” Guardiola said.
“It’s new players and it’s forgotten. A new game against Chelsea. We are in the final and we have to try to win the trophy.
“I would prefer seven days like Chelsea had but when you reach Carabao Cup final, you have less days. It has happened in the past when we have won the title.
“The schedule is what it is. It is not ideal but it is what it its. We have done it in the past and we have to do it tomorrow.
“Because the big clubs, when you are in difficult circumstances, you have to do a little extra. It’s simple. It is not the perfect scenario to prepare for the final because we have not trained anything since the last game against Crystal Palace. But we are going to try.”
Quizzed on how much the Bournemouth game, given its importance to the Premier League title race, is on his mind, Guardiola responded: “Zero. It is the final of the FA Cup.
“The message will be how we have to move, run and play to beat Chelsea. The message is there are two prestigious clubs at Wembley in the FA Cup final. Our fans make an incredible effort to come down to London. It is not cheap. We try to perform as much as possible to win. It is always the gameplan.”
