Manchester City continue their pursuit of Premier League leaders Arsenal when they host Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Pep Guardiola’s men responded strongly to the frustration of their 3-3 draw against Everton by defeating Brentford 3-0 at home over the weekend, with Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush all getting on the scoresheet.
Despite the victory, City remain five points adrift of Arsenal with only one game in hand, leaving little margin for error in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Guardiola will therefore hope to welcome back several important players as his side attempt to maintain pressure at the top of the table.
The City manager is still dealing with a number of fitness concerns ahead of the meeting with Oliver Glasner’s Palace side, although there is growing optimism that some key figures could return to contention.
Rodri injury update
Manchester City have felt the absence of Rodri in recent weeks, with the influential midfielder missing the club’s previous four matches across all competitions because of a groin problem.
The Spain international has become one of Guardiola’s most trusted players over the last few seasons due to his composure in possession and ability to control matches from midfield.
Rodri’s injury came at a difficult stage of the campaign, particularly with City battling on multiple fronts and needing consistency in the Premier League title race.
Without him, Guardiola has had to rotate his midfield options, relying on players such as Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva to fill the gap in the centre of the pitch.
There was, however, some encouragement for City supporters last week when Rodri resumed partial training with the first-team squad.
Although the midfielder was not considered ready for Saturday’s clash with Brentford, his return to the training ground suggested progress in his recovery.
Guardiola has often taken a cautious approach with players returning from muscular injuries, preferring not to rush them back before they are fully fit.
As a result, the coaching staff are expected to make another late assessment before deciding whether Rodri can feature against Palace.
At this stage, the midfielder remains a major doubt for Wednesday’s match, but City are hopeful he could at least be available for selection.
Josko Gvardiol and Abdukodir Khusanov
Defender Josko Gvardiol is also pushing to return after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The Croatia international has not played for more than three months due to a tibial fracture, but he has now rejoined first-team training in what represents a major step forward in his rehabilitation.
Gvardiol’s absence has forced Guardiola to regularly reshuffle his defensive options throughout the second half of the campaign.
The versatile defender had established himself as an important figure in City’s back line before suffering the injury, offering strength defensively as well as confidence on the ball.
Although he has resumed training, City’s medical staff are still carefully monitoring his condition.
The defender was not included in the squad that defeated Brentford at the weekend because the coaching staff believed he needed more time to rebuild full match fitness.
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A final decision over his involvement against Crystal Palace is expected to be taken shortly before kick-off.
While Gvardiol remains a major doubt, his return to training has increased optimism that he could soon make his comeback.
Another player facing a race to be fit is Abdukodir Khusanov, who picked up what Guardiola described as a “knock in a painful area” during the recent draw against Everton.
The defender was subsequently unavailable for the Brentford game, raising concerns over his condition ahead of Wednesday’s fixture.
Unlike some of City’s longer-term injury problems, Khusanov’s issue is not believed to be serious.
Early indications suggest the defender has a strong chance of returning to the squad against Palace if he responds well in training over the next few days.
