Man City boss Pep Guardiola sets out tough Kalvin Phillips challenge

Pep Guardiola talked up the importance of Rodri as Kalvin Phillips looks for a way into the Manchester City side.

Phillips more than doubled his Premier League minutes for the season with half-an-hour off the bench at Bournemouth, and an FA Cup game against Championship opposition would seem an ideal occasion for him to find more rhythm. However, Guardiola will not hand out appearances freely and spoke about how integral Rodri is to the side to highlight the challenge that England international Phillips faces.

"Rodri is so important for us and playing really well," he said. "Kalvin is adapting and adjusting.

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"Some players need a little bit more time without rhythm. It was so important to play the minutes he played at Bournemouth for the rhythm.

"We will see tomorrow [if he plays]. We need him until the end of the season because there are many games, but Rodri is so important right now."

Guardiola also refused to confirm if Laporte and De Bruyne would be available for the game. The pair both missed the Champions League trip to Leipzig last week after succumbing to illness after the Nottingham Forest game, although the Belgian returned to the bench against Bournemouth.

"We have training this afternoon. Kevin is OK but still has a bit of illness, but is much better," he said."

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