The worst-case scenario for Pep Guardiola has not materialized ahead of Man City vs. Liverpool FC.

Following the international break, a huge Premier League match pits Manchester City against Liverpool.

Everything appears to be going well for Manchester City all of a sudden.

In the Premier League, they’re enjoying themselves. as they usually are at the top of the pile. Not to mention that, with two games remaining, qualification for the Champions League knockout stages has already been guaranteed. You couldn’t ask for a much better start to a season, considering City hasn’t even approached their brilliant peak.

However, this season’s weakness has been exposed by a loss to Arsenal and a draw with Chelsea. Pep Guardiola’s team is defeatable. Liverpool has been unmatched in their ability to defeat City in recent years, with the possible exception of Tottenham. That’s the person who will be next, not a slow, steady return to duty.

Ahead of the crucial game, City has a long injury list, which exacerbates the situation. In addition to John Stones, who has been out for a while, Kevin De Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic, Mathues Nunes, Nathan Ake, Ederson, and Sergio Gomez have all recently been added to the list of casualties.

Although the exact number of serious injuries and players who will be sidelined are still unknown, it is unsettling to think about so many unanswered questions and the possibility of them all being sidelined. Guardiola intentionally prefers a small squad, but in these exceptional circumstances, a team’s weaknesses may surface.

You can only imagine how terrified everyone was last week when Rodri pulled out of a Spain game due to “discomfort.” All over Manchester’s blue side, hearts must have been in mouths.

Rodri is the most important component of the City machine, as this season has already demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt. Even Haaland, who scores goals for free in 71 games

The Spaniard most definitely would have played against Wolves and Arsenal in the league, but he probably wouldn’t have in the Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle. At Molineux, City gave a completely unrecognizable performance, claiming no control at all, without Rodri. Despite being superior to the Gunners, they were still defeated.

Up until last Sunday’s thrilling 4–4 draw with Chelsea, where the midfielder appeared to have scored the game’s winning goal before a last-minute error by Ruben Dias conceded a penalty, City had easily won every game with Rodri back in the lineup following his suspension. The odds would be stacked in favor of the Reds if City were to play without Rodri against Liverpool, given the stark difference between the two teams.

Thus, it had to have felt like

As long as they have Rodri, City can enter any game with confidence that they will win, regardless of how many injuries they sustain. It appears that they may have avoided their worst nightmare in order to face their most formidable opponents.