Guardiola open to looking at fresh options to replace suspended Rodri

PEP Guardiola has suggested he will look for a player who offers something slightly different to Rodri as he works out how to replace the holding midfielder against Wolves today.

-  TYRONE MARSHALL

The Spaniard is serving the second game of his three-match suspension after he saw red against Nottingham Forest last weekend.

Kalvin Phillips was always likely to step in at Newcastle in the Carabao Cup in midweek, but the England international has started just two Premier League games for the club and they came after the title was won last season. Phillips is in with a chance of keeping his place, while Mateo Kovacic could also be used in that position, as could Matheus Nunes, who returns to Molineux for the first time since his acrimonious departure in the summer.

Bernardo Silva remains absent for the Blues, as do John Stones and Kevin de Bruyne, but Guardiola admits Rodri is hard to replace because of his status as a regular in the side, and suggested the approach could be to field a different type of player.

"For the fact at the minutes he has played, he's difficult to replace," said the Blues boss od the Spaniard.

"He is out and we'll find skills that Rodri hasn't and use that to the benefit of the team."

When it was put to him that this might be a chance to experiment, Guardiola said: "We're going to try to do similar things to what we've done."