Manchester City were on the receiving end of a 5-1 victory against Burnley in their last Premier League match on September 27 at Etihad Stadium.
Burnley defender Maxime Esteve netted an own goal, giving Man City a lead in just 12 minutes into the clash. Jaidon Anthony scored the equalizer for the visitors in the 38th minute.
Man City doubled their lead with Matheus Nunes' goal from an assist by Erling Haaland in the 61st minute, followed by Esteve scoring another own goal just four minutes later. The Norwegian star then found the back of the net twice before the final whistle.
One of the notable absentees in Man City's stellar win against Burnley was 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri. Speaking after the match, head coach Pep Guardiola explained why the midfielder did not take to the pitch on Saturday.
What did Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola say?
Rodri suffered a cruciate ligament tear in September last year and was sidelined for over 200 days, missing 53 games for club and country. Despite recently returning from the injury, the Spaniard has struggled to regain his consistency and has already missed some matches for Man City this season.
Guardiola mentioned that Rodri experienced discomfort in the knee that was injured last campaign, hence being ruled out of the clash against Burnley, and told reporters,
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"In training, Rodri said, 'I'm not able to play. I have a lot of pain in my knee, I cannot play.' And I said: 'You cannot play? You don’t play. So another one is going to play.' It's the same knee he had injured," as per GOAL.
"When a player tells me he cannot play, I have to listen. The most important thing is his health. We hope it's nothing serious, but it's something we have to check carefully."
With an existing list of outstanding injuries in his squad, Guardiola would not be looking to avoid a long-term setback with Rodri. The 29-year-old is likely to miss Man City's upcoming Champions League clash.
Guardiola & Co. are pitted against Monaco in their second match of the 2025/26 Champions League on October 1, at Stade Louis II.
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