Manchester City will travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the Manchester derby in the 22nd round of the 2025/26 Premier League season. Guardiola stated that Spanish star Rodri is in increasingly better form, but managing the midfielder's playing time is still crucial.

Manchester City drew 1-1 with Brighton in their last league match, thanks to a goal from Haaland. After two wins and three draws in their last five games, City currently sit second in the table with 43 points, six points behind leaders Arsenal.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri, 29, missed a period of time last October due to a hamstring injury, only coming off the bench in the match against Sunderland, and even playing the full 90 minutes in the key home game against Chelsea.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said, "That composure and game quality is something we didn't have when he was out, and not many teams have that ability. He didn't play the full 90 minutes in previous matches to protect him."

“The match against Chelsea was very taxing, but his physical condition doesn’t allow him to immediately return to high-intensity games. We are working hard to manage his playing time, but his form is steadily improving.”

Regarding when Rodri will be able to play a full 90 minutes again, Guardiola said, "It will be soon. The question is not whether he can play 90 minutes, but whether he can continue to play in the following days after he finishes playing 90 minutes. We cannot be sure about that at the moment."

Furthermore, after their match against Manchester United, Manchester City will turn their attention to their Champions League seventh-round away game against Bodø/Glimt.

Guardiola continued, "If Rodri plays the full 90 minutes against Manchester United, we'll have to see if he's available for the big match in Norway, but over time he'll gradually return to full fitness, and there won't be any setbacks. He has an innate quality that's always been there."