Man City suffer Rodri and Jack Grealish blow ahead of Aston Villa clash

 

Manchester City face a tough trip to Villa Park on Wednesday and Pep Guardiola will be without two of his most important players.

Rodri was booked for bringing down Pedro Porro.
Rodri was booked for bringing down Pedro Porro.

Manchester City will be without Rodri and Jack Grealish for Wednesday's trip to Aston Villa after the pair picked up their fifth bookings of the season against Tottenham.

Rodri was shown a yellow card in the 34th-minute of the Premier League clash after cynically bringing down Pedro Porro, who was bursting forward on a counter-attack. Grealish came off the bench on 52 minutes and was booked just after the hour mark for kicking the ball away after a free-kick was awarded.

Having now picked up five bookings before City's 19th game of the season, the duo will serve a one-game suspension. They will now be unavailable when Pep Guardiola's side travel to Villa Park - Grealish's boyhood club - in midweek.

It is Rodri's second suspension of the season, the Spaniard having already served a three-game ban for violent conduct after being sent off against Nottingham Forest. He was adjudged to have grabbed Morgan Gibbs-White round the throat during a clash between multiple players.

City lost all three domestic matches in Rodri's absence during the first ban. The Blues were beaten by Wolves and Arsenal in the league and knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle United. Guardiola opted for a number of different tactical switches in the absence of his ever-present midfielder, with Kalvin PhillipsRico LewisMateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva all deployed in the deeper role at points.

Rodri's absence comes ahead of one of the toughest games in the Premier League this season. Villa have won 10 of their 11 home games across all competitions, including all of their last seven. Unai Emery's side did leave it late to draw at Bournemouth on Sunday, however, with Ollie Watkins' 90th-minute header making it 2-2 at the Vitality Stadium.

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