Pep Guardiola has revealed that Nico Gonzalez is expected to be available for selection for Manchester City’s FA Cup final this weekend, although the fitness situation surrounding Rodri remains uncertain as the Premier League title race approaches its dramatic conclusion.
City strengthened their hopes of winning the league crown with a commanding 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. The result kept Guardiola’s side firmly in contention, but attention quickly shifted towards squad fitness and selection ahead of Saturday’s Wembley showdown.
Guardiola made six changes for the win over Palace, a decision that underlined the importance City are placing on the FA Cup in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Despite rotating heavily, the City manager was still unable to call upon Rodri, whose absence continues to raise concerns.
The Spain midfielder has not featured since City’s victory over Arsenal last month after suffering a groin injury.
Since then, he has not appeared in a matchday squad, leaving doubts over whether he will return before the season comes to an end.
While Guardiola stopped short of ruling Rodri in or out of the final, his update suggested that City are still carefully monitoring the midfielder’s condition before making any decisions on his involvement.
Nico Gonzalez, meanwhile, appears to be back in contention after missing the Palace game. The midfielder had been expected to play a role after his memorable contribution in the FA Cup semi-final, where he struck a superb winning goal against Southampton to send City to Wembley.
His omission from the squad against Palace prompted questions, particularly as there had been no indication of injury.
Instead, Guardiola opted to start Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden in midfield, while Mateo Kovacic was introduced from the bench during the second half.
Explaining the decision, Guardiola insisted Gonzalez remained fully fit and pointed to the depth available within the squad.
“He’s fine but I have to leave a lot of players out because we are the whole squad ready, and sometimes they’re there,” said Guardiola.
The City manager also highlighted Gonzalez’s importance during the club’s FA Cup run, praising the midfielder’s decisive impact in the semi-final.
“Nico, he brings us to the final of the FA Cup, right? With his fantastic goal, and all season he’s played that position. But in the last game I saw Bernie [Silva], I liked a lot how he played there, and that’s why I decided to do it again.”
Premier League title race still alive
The victory over Palace leaves Manchester City sitting two points behind league leaders Arsenal with only two matches remaining in the campaign.
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Arsenal face Burnley on Monday night before City travel to face AFC Bournemouth 24 hours later. Guardiola’s side will head to the south coast knowing they must overcome a Bournemouth team currently enjoying a 16-match unbeaten run.
The pressure remains firmly on both title contenders as the season nears its conclusion, with every point carrying enormous significance.
There is also the possibility that Crystal Palace could yet influence the destination of the title. Palace are set to host Arsenal on the final day of the season, a fixture that may prove decisive depending on results earlier in the week.
City’s own campaign will conclude at home against Aston Villa, who are expected to arrive having played in the Europa League final only days earlier.
