Rodri’s Return Boosts Guardiola’s Title Hopes

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes the club can compete for the Premier League title if Rodri regains his top form upon returning from injury.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner spent a significant portion of last season recovering from knee surgery and has faced ongoing fitness challenges this season.

City has dropped three of their first nine league matches, placing it six points behind league leaders Arsenal.

However, Guardiola’s squad has suffered only one loss in their last 11 matches across all competitions, with a strong start in the Champions League and advancement to the League Cup quarter-finals.

Rodri is expected to play for the first time in almost a month when City takes on second-placed Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium this Sunday.

“I think he (Rodri) will be ready to help. I don’t know if he will be able to play from the beginning, but hopefully he can be with us,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.

As the weekend begins, City sits two points behind Bournemouth, who are enjoying an unbeaten run of eight Premier League games.

Guardiola has expressed particular admiration for the Cherries after they capitalized on the departures of three key defenders last season.

Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen, and Illia Zabarnyi were transferred to Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively, for a total of over £150 million ($198 million).

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Tope Oke

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