Manchester City are set to be without five players for Saturday lunchtime’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium.
While Rodri is still building up his fitness in individual training after almost seven months out with an ACL injury, Nathan Ake (foot), John Stones (thigh) and Erling Haaland (ankle) are also in the treatment room.
Manuel Akanji is believed to be closing in on a return after undergoing abductor surgery in mid-February, but this weekend’s game will come too soon for the defender.
Man City have kept a clean sheet in their last two matches – a 2-0 win over Leicester and a 0-0 draw with Manchester United – so Pep Guardiola will be tempted to name the same back four of Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Nico O’Reilly, protecting goalkeeper Ederson between the sticks.
However, Rico Lewis will hope to displace Nunes at right-back, while Abdukodir Khusanov could be recalled to start at centre-back, which would potentially see Gvardiol move over to left-back.
In midfield, Nico Gonzalez is in contention to return and replace either Mateo Kovacic or Ilkay Gundogan, while Kevin De Bruyne could captain the Citizens at the Etihad for the first time since announcing his departure at the end of the season.
Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden are in danger of being replaced out wide as Savinho, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish are all pushing for a recall, while Omar Marmoush – who has scored five goals in as many top-flight games at the Etihad since joining in January – is set to continue up front in Haaland’s absence.
Manchester City possible starting lineup: Ederson; Lewis, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gundogan, Gonzalez; Savinho, De Bruyne, Doku; Marmoush
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