LONDON — Manchester City will be without midfielder Rodri for matches against Villarreal and Aston Villa this week as the Spanish midfielder continues his recovery from a hamstring injury, manager Pep Guardiola said

The 29-year-old, who missed most of last season recovering from a major knee injury, limped off in the first half of City’s 1-0 win at Brentford on October 5 before withdrawing from the Spain squad for their World Cup qualifiers.

He also missed City’s 2-0 home win over Everton on Saturday.

“I don’t think so for Villarreal or Aston Villa,” Guardiola told British media. “It’s not long, but it’s muscular and you have to be careful.

“We’ve tried so many times, we’ve tried to not take a risk, but we have not been able to (manage) that. So we will see.”

City travel to Rodri’s former club Villarreal tomorrow in the Champions League before facing Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

Guardiola’s side are second in the league on 16 points after eight matches, three points behind leaders Arsenal.