Rodri will not make Manchester City return until September
Manchester City midfielder Rodri will not be at full fitness until after September's international break, Pep Guardiola has revealed.
The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner missed most of last season due to ligament damage and without him City failed to mount a strong defence of their Premier League crown.
The 29-year-old Spanish international fought his way back to fitness but suffered a groin injury in City's defeat to Saudi club Al-Hilal at the Club World Cup in the United States last month.
"Rodri's getting better but he had a big injury in the last game against Al-Hilal and for the last five or six weeks," Guardiola said in comments released on Saturday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
3 hours ago
- The Citizen
TS Galaxy lose Betway Premiership opener at Mbombela Stadium
TS Galaxy's Betway Premiership campaign got off to a poor start, with a 2-0 defeat to Durban City at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday, August 10. Their starting line-up was unchanged from their previous game against Sekhukhune United, as they welcomed the newly promoted Durban City. The Rockets have only won one of their opening matches in this league since their debut in the 2020/21 season. They have drawn three times and lost twice. This was the second league opener TS Galaxy have lost. The Rockets usually score one goal in their opening games, but they have never scored more than two. The team showed resilience, but Durban City's defence held firm. In the fourth minute, goalkeeper Darren Keet denied TS Galaxy's Puso Dithenjane, saving his cross from the left just outside the box. ALSO READ: Mpumalanga School of Excellence crowned Safa U20 Mbombela Stream champions In response, Durban City took a counter attack after Keet passed the ball to Joslin Kamatuka of Durban City, who lost it before he could enter the Rockets' 18-area. In the seventh minute, TS Galaxy built an attack from the back, but Dithenjane's ball was blocked by one of City's defenders. The Rockets' Nhlanhla Mgaga got an opportunity in the box, but because of the position of the ball he could not capitalise on it. City's defenders cleared the ball, which fell to TS Galaxy's Mpho Mvelase, who was tightly marked. In the 18th minute, Siphesihle Maduna of TS Galaxy's ball was saved by Keet when the Rockets attacked once more. Trevor Mokwena of Durban City missed his chance at the goal when his free header went over the post after a cross in the 27th minute. He was alone in the box. The Rockets' striker, Victor Letsoalo, hit the outside net in the 40th minute, leaving the fans wondering how he missed such a promising strike, and a chance to take the lead. In the 42nd minute, the Rockets got a set piece in City's half but Macbeth Mahlangu of TS Galaxy failed to capitalise. City's defence cleared the ball out of play, resulting in a corner kick. The game went to half-time with the scoreboard standing at 0-0. Durban City opened the second half with a goal from Samkelo Maseko in the 46th minute, after the ball played from the centre of the field. TS Galaxy dominated possession in the second half. In the 57th minute, Durban City created another opportunity to extend their lead but Kamatuka's kick was saved by Ira Tapé. Haashim Domingo's cross from the corner spot gave Mfanafuthi Mkhize of Durban City a chance to extend City's lead. ALSO READ: TS Galaxy's winning streak ends as Marumo Gallants win at Mbombela Stadium TS Galaxy continued looking for a comeback goal, but City's defence fiercely protected their lead. The match ended 2-0. TS Galaxy are at the bottom of the league after one match, while Durban City claimed the second spot. TS Galaxy will face Sekhukhune United on Wednesday, August 13, while Durban City will play Chippa United.
IOL News
6 hours ago
- IOL News
New coach, new challenges: Orlando Pirates struggle where Liverpool soared
Orlando Pirates face early challenges under new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou (pictured) after losing their first two Betway Premiership matches, contrasting with Liverpool's successful transition to Arne Slot, who won the Premier League in his first season. Picture: Itumeleng English/Independent Media Image: Itumeleng English Independent Media It may be a tad early for judgement, but the alarm bells are certainly ringing on the Orlando Pirates ship, which has sprung a leak under new coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, as they've lost their opening two matches in the Betway Premiership. Last season, José Riveiro led Pirates to second in the league behind an unstoppable Mamelodi Sundowns, who were crowned champions. Pirates, though, won a number of cup titles under Riveiro from 2022 to 2025, including three MTN8 titles in a row. However, since Sundowns have won eight league titles in a row, now it was hoped Pirates could seriously challenge the Brazilians for the title. Transitioning to Success: Arne Slot's Premier League Triumph with Liverpool Of course, the transition to a new coach can always be something of a challenge, but it can be done. The best example of this in recent memory is that of Liverpool when the legendary Jürgen Klopp left and handed over to Arne Slot. Slot would go on to win the Premier League in his first season in charge which was a phenomeal feat earlier this year. Admittedly, he had an extremely strong squad at his disposal, but success is more than just squad strength. Slot was given overwhelming backing from the club and supporters. When it was first announced, who can forget Klopp singing a song in front of the Liverpool crowd about Slot? If that's not the ultimate vote of confidence, then I don't know what is. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Riveiro's Early Exit and Ouaddou's Appointment: Pirates' Coaching Transition and Future Concerns Riveiro, meanwhile, left over a month before his contract was up as Pirates released the tactician early. That was to allow Riveiro time to sign his new contract with Al Ahly so he could lead the team in the post-season FIFA Club World Cup. It would be weeks before Pirates even announced Ouaddou as the new coach by the club on June 23, and it would be difficult to imagine Riveiro waxing lyrical about his successor. Like I said at the start, it is early to rush to judgement, but one has to wonder how many losses it might take before the club begins to panic about their choice of coach. @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport * The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media. ** JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Send us an email with your comments, thoughts or responses to iolletters@ Letters should be a maximum of 500 words, and may be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Submissions should include a contact number and physical address (not for publication).
The Citizen
6 hours ago
- The Citizen
Spanish coach Riveiro lays down the law for Ahly stars
Riveiro moved to Ahly last May and has yet to celebrate a victory. Spanish coach Jose Riveiro has laid down the law to the stars of African giants Al Ahly of Egypt as they prepare for another CAF Champions League campaign. Cairo-based Ahly have won the elite African club competition a record 12 times — seven times more than closest rivals Zamalek of Egypt and TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo. ALSO READ: Ouaddou 'disappointed' after Pirates loss to Gallants But last season they fell in the semi-finals to Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, losing the tie on away goals after Yasser Ibrahim conceded an own goal in the final minute of regular time. Defeat was particularly painful for the Cairo Red Devils as it was the fourth time they had won back-to-back titles only to fail to create history by lifting the trophy three consecutive times. After three seasons and five trophies with Orlando Pirates in South Africa, Riveiro moved to Ahly last May and has yet to celebrate a victory. Ahly drew with Inter Miami and Porto, who they led four times, at the Club World Cup in the United States and lost to Brazilian outfit Palmeiras. If the 49-year-old Spaniard believed the Egypt Premier League kick-off last weekend would bring a chance of fortunes, he was mistaken. Away to Modern Future, who finished 14th last season, Ahly had to come from behind to secure a 2-2 draw thanks to a Yassin Marei goal. 'There is no place for names, and no room for favouritism,' said a visibly angry Riveiro after that match. 'Whoever proves himself in training and in matches will get chances — whoever disobeys instructions will have no role in the team.' – No future – Queried by reporters about his line-up, Riveiro said: 'I am the coach and I decide who participates and who does not'. Riveiro stressed to his squad the need for full commitment to his tactics, warning those who failed to follow them would have no future at Ahly. He echoed the comments of the last two Ahly coaches, South African Pitso Mosimane and Swiss Marcel Koller, that Ahly want to win every competition they are involved in. But Riveiro knows winning the Champions League is of paramount importance for several reasons, including qualification for the 2029 Club World Cup. They have a first round bye in qualifying and will tackle the winners between Aigle Noir of Burundi and ASAS of Djibouti for a place in the group phase. The Club World Cup this year gave Ahly and the other three African representatives, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, Esperance of Tunisia and Wydad Casblanca of Morocco, unrivalled riches. Each club received $9.5 million for qualifying plus an additional $2 million for a win and $1 million for a draw. Sundowns did best, taking home $12.5 million. Wydad will not be involved in the coming Champions League as they finished third in the Moroccan league, leaving champions Renaissance Berkane and runners-up FAR Rabat to represent the kingdom. FAR and the other seven quarter-finalists last season, including eventual champions Pyramids of Egypt will be back, and the field includes 10 former champions and six winners of other CAF competitions. Pyramids will face Rwandan army outfit APR for the third straight season in qualifying and will be expected to complete a hat-trick of aggregate victories. Should the defending champions advance, they will face Insurance of Ethiopia or Mlandege of Zanzibar for a group place.
