Manchester City will begin the defence of their FA Cup crown on Sunday afternoon as they host Championship strugglers Huddersfield Town.
20.12.2023 - 10:15 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Rodri has praised his two Manchester City midfield colleagues from the FIFA Club World Cup win over Urawa Red Diamonds, predicting that Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic still have important roles to play this season.
City played without a recognised striker in the semi-final, with Bernardo Silva as a false nine and both Nunes and Kovacic pushing up from midfield, with Rodri holding. Nunes got to the byline to cross for City's first goal, turned in by a Urawa defender, while Kovacic's run through the middle saw him take the ball and finish confidently over the goalkeeper to make it two.
Nunes was involved again as his shot was saved into the path of Bernardo to seal City's place in the final. And Rodri said the pair will benefit from being involved in the goals in such a big game.
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"I think he [Nunes] needed this for his confidence and to keep going. He's a very good player," said Rodri. "Very young, of course. He provoked the first goal. Mateo Kovacic, he also scored his first goal.
"Both of them are doing very good. We need them. We need them until the end of the season. They are going to be important players. I'm very happy for them. We need the best of all of us. I hope we give our best version in the final."
Looking ahead to Friday's final with Fluminense, Rodri said City will be winning one of the most important trophies they will ever win, should they do enough to beat the Copa Libertadores champions.
He said: "I'm very excited, it is one of the most important games we'll have this season. We recover the legs and
Manchester City will begin the defence of their FA Cup crown on Sunday afternoon as they host Championship strugglers Huddersfield Town.
Manchester City is gearing up to defend their title in the FA Cup as they face Championship strugglers Huddersfield Town in what appears to be a favourable matchup for the defending champions. Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has shown great respect for every competition and will undoubtedly treat the FA Cup with the same level of seriousness.
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