Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, confirmed that the decision regarding Rodri's participation in the match against Nottingham Forest will be made later today, ahead of the game scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the City Ground as part of the Premier League.

Guardiola said that the Spanish midfielder is in a much better condition and added, "Rodri has improved a lot. Whether he is ready or not, we will decide today," noting that the player has not played since making a brief substitute appearance in early November, after suffering a hamstring injury following a long absence due to a knee injury.

Manchester City’s coach provided an update on the status of some players, saying, "Jeremy Doku and John Stones are not ready yet, but their return is close."

Guardiola spoke about the difficulty of the upcoming match and continued: "Nottingham Forest is a strong team, and playing at their home ground has always been challenging, whether because of the atmosphere or the quality of the players." He went on to note that the team has invested heavily in recent years since their promotion to the Premier League.

Guardiola continued his remarks about Manchester City's position in the league race, emphasizing that he prefers to be comfortably at the top. He said, "I would rather be leading by ten points, but the reality is different. It's still the end of December, and we are competitive in the league, the Champions League, and the League Cup."

When asked about the great potential of player Ryan Cherki, Guardiola emphasized that there is always room for development, saying: "Not just Cherki, I want everyone to improve. I know the strengths and weaknesses of the players because we work with them daily. All the advice is aimed at helping them become better. As for Cherki, the sky is the limit; it depends on what he wants to achieve because he has exceptional talent."

The City coach concluded his remarks by offering condolences to Nottingham Forest on the passing of their legend John Robertson, saying: "On behalf of Manchester City, I extend my sincere condolences to the club's family. He was an important player in Forest's history, and it would be wonderful to pay tribute to him before the match."