The reigning champions travel to Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the 2024/25 season, where Pep Guardiola will be up against his former assistant Enzo Maresca.
It’s a potentially tricky clash, which will be made more difficult if Rodri is unavailable which at this point appears to be a near-certainty.
The defensive midfielder did not take part in pre-season having been granted extra time off after helping Spain win Euro 2024, with City’s England trio of John Stones, Kyle Walker and Phil Foden also allowed to enjoy a summer break.
The quartet missed the Community Shield win over Manchester United last Saturday but the Three Lions stars returned to first-team training on Monday and are in contention to take on Chelsea.
However, the Manchester Evening News have confirmed that Rodri is not due back until Wednesday, perhaps due to the injury he suffered in the Euros final.
With only a few days to get back up to speed, it seems very likely that the 28-year-old won’t be thrown straight back into the starting XI against the Blues, with his return more likely to be against Ipswich Town at the Etihad on August 24.
As for who will fill his pretty big void in the team, Mateo Kovacic operated as a defensive midfielder in the Community Shield and recently revealed Guardiola was helping him adapt to playing in a more deeper role.
Guardiola will provide a more in-depth update on his players’ fitness closer to the Chelsea clash but has already revealed that Jack Grealish is an injury doubt for the trip to west London.
‘Discomfort for two days but especially on [last] Friday, his feeling wasn’t good,’ the manager revealed after the attacking midfielder missed the Community Shield win.
‘I don’t think it’s a big issue but we didn’t want to take a risk. It’s a blow, he had rhythm and was aggressive.
‘Maybe against Chelsea he will be ready or I’m pretty sure against Ipswich Town. If he’d got injured now it could be three weeks or a month out.’
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