Are Man City's Premier League and Champions League chances done? Record without Rodri and how injury could impact their title hopes

Kyle Bonn

Are Man City's Premier League and Champions League chances done? Record without Rodri and how injury could impact their title hopes image

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been the gold standard for fitness and durability over the past few years, helping lead the club's domination of the Premier League and challenge for European trophies.

Since joining Man City in the summer of 2019, Rodri has played at least 33 Premier League matches in every single season, and has made at least eight Champions League appearances in every campaign as well.

That will change this year, as Rodri has reportedly suffered a torn ACL which will likely end his 2024/25 campaign in late September. Even if he were to recover in time to return late in the season, by then he would have missed the bulk of the journey.

Man City are an extremely deep squad with plenty of talent to make up for his absence, but Rodri's exemplary record on the pitch and importance to Pep Guardiola's style have given fans pause as to if his current setback will harm his side's chances of winning trophies during his absence?

The stats make for worrying reading if you follow City.

MORE: All the latest Man City news | Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings

Man City record, stats without Rodri

Since Rodri joined Manchester City in the summer of 2019 from Atletico Madrid, the Spain international has been critical to the success of the club.

Man City have performed markedly better in games in which Rodri has appeared, as opposed to those he has missed. They secured 2.4 points per match in Premier League games with the Spaniard, compared to just 1.9 per game without him.

City has also seen dips in both possession and passes into the final third in both the Premier League and Champions League without the Spaniard's influence, which is significant even with such a small sample size of his absence. Rodri famously went 74 games for club and country without defeat from February 2023 to May 2024, underpinning his value.

MORE: The latest on Rodri's injury as Man City prepare for life without talismanic midfielder

Stats correct as of September 23, 2024, via Opta.

Premier League

With RodriStatWithout Rodri
174Games21
129-26-19 (74% W)W-D-L13-1-7 (62% W)
439 (2.52 per)Goals scored48 (2.29 per)
144 (0.83 per)Goals conceded21 (1.0 per)
2.4Points per game1.9
66%Possession65.5%
64.9Passes into final 3rd61.9

Champions League

With RodriStatWithout Rodri
49Games9
35-11-3 (71.4% W)W-D-L5-2-2 (55.5% W)
117 (2.39 per)Goals scored18 (2.0 per)
42 (0.86 per)Goals conceded6 (0.67 per)
2.4Points per game1.9
62.7%Possession61.9%
66.9Passes into final 1/362.2

Rodri injury history with Man City

Spain international Rodri has enjoyed exceptional durability throughout his playing days prior to suffering his ACL tear, missing just eight club or international games due to injury his entire professional career, according to Transfermarkt.com.

The 28-year-old missed three games earlier this season due to a minor hamstring injury, and was absent for five matches in his first Man City season back in 2019 due to a muscle issue.

Otherwise, he's never missed a single match for club or country due to a fitness concern.

Man City odds to win Premier League, Champions League without Rodri

Almost universally, betting futures are quite immune to injuries to single players, as the betting market rarely reacts to such individual fitness issues.

To this point, Man City's odds to win the Premier League and Champions League have remained mostly steady.

BetMGM in the United States currently list both Man City and Arsenal at +138 to win the Premier League, with Liverpool at +550 and everyone else quite significantly behind.

Compared to the start of the season, that's lowered from their +150 odds to start the campaign.

Upon the Champions League draw a week ago, Man City were the favorites to win the title with +275 odds on BetMGM in the United States. While they sat at +250 the morning of Monday, September 23, they were back to +275 in the immediate aftermath of Rodri's long-term injury being revealed.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.