Rodri not to be risked for City in FA Cup semi
Pep Guardiola has said the risk of playing Rodri in Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final against Southampton is not worth taking ahead of its Premier League title run-in.
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The Citizens return to Wembley Stadium on Sunday (AEST), a little more than a month on from their Carabao Cup final victory over Arsenal, with a win taking them ever closer to a potential treble.
After beating Arsenal in a top-of-the-table clash, Erling Haaland's fifth-minute strike earned a narrow 1-0 win over Burnley, which sent City to the top of the Premier League.
But its attention now turns to the FA Cup, a competition it has not won since 2022-2023, and Guardiola has confirmed the clash has come too soon for the influential Rodri.
The Spaniard was substituted in the 88th minute of City's win over Arsenal with a groin injury, but the issue is only expected to rule him out until his side's next league game on 5 May (AEST).
"He's better. No, [he is not likely to play] we don't want to take the risk," Guardiola said.
"I don't know [if he will be back for the Everton game] but we don't want to take a risk, because if he's injured, and we lose him the next five games. Rodri is so important."
City has faced Southampton in four previous FA Cup ties, winning 5-0 in 1909-1910, 3-1 in 2006-2007 and 4-1 in 2021-2022. It lost 5-1 in the other in the third round in 1959-1960.
City has also reached its eighth consecutive FA Cup semi-final, a run stretching back to 2018-2019.
It has won its past three to reach the showpiece match. No side has ever reached the FA Cup final in four seasons in a row, but the odds are in City's favour to do just that.
Southampton has lost 13 of its past 18 matches against City in all competitions, winning only two. Their most recent meeting was a goalless draw in May 2025 in the Premier League.
Guardiola suggested after the win over Burnley that wholesale changes could be made to take on the EFL Championship side, with the likes of James Trafford, Tijjani Reijnders, Phil Foden, Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmoush all in line to start.
The City boss cited emotional and physical fatigue brought on by the effort needed to beat Arsenal, but he acknowledged the difficulties Southampton will pose for his team.
"It was so demanding, the game against Arsenal, emotionally, it's normal," Guardiola added. "The people were so tired, and they took a train for hours.
"They were from here to the hotel and to Wembley. Tomorrow will be a fantastic day. So many, many thoughts. Still I am in my mind and we'll see tomorrow."
Southampton, meanwhile, is looking to become the first non-Premier League side to reach the FA Cup final since Cardiff City in 2007-2008, which beat fellow EFL Championship side Barnsley in the semi-final.
On the past 15 occasions a top-flight team has faced a side from outside the top-flight in the semi-final, the Premier League team has always gone on to the showpiece match.
But Southampton comes into this clash with confidence, having gone unbeaten in its past 17 matches across all competitions, putting it in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
However, the task of replacing two key members of the recent unbeaten run – the suspended Flynn Downes and Ryan Manning – is one that boss Tonda Eckert explained he will approach with full confidence.
"I think that we've shown in many parts of the season that we're able to find ways to play football games without key players," Eckert said.
"It might change the approach a little bit on how we go about the games we have coming up now, but we've had this over different spells with important players missing.
"We just need to make sure we adapt in some moments, maybe in the way we press or the way we build with him but I'm sure we'll find a way. I'm sure we'll have a solution on Saturday [Sunday AEST]."
