Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Rodrygo did not feature in Saturday's La Liga contest against Mallorca due to "a knock" that he sustained in training ahead of the fixture.
There was doubt over his inclusion in the squad for the La Liga contest when he missed training on Friday, but the Brazil international was selected for the league affair.
Rodrygo was ultimately an unused substitute on Saturday, though, and Ancelotti said after the match that the attacker had been nursing "a knock".
The 23-year-old's fitness will therefore need to be assessed before it is determined whether he will be able to start Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City.
Lucas Vazquez, Luka Modric, Brahim Diaz and Joselu were handed starts against Mallorca following the 3-3 draw with the Premier League champions in the European Cup last-eight first leg last week.
© Reuters
Rodrygo will need to be assessed ahead of trip to Man City
However, there were positions in the XI for the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham, who are all in line to start on Tuesday.
"I think we played well. I did not give rest due to a physical aspect. Everyone was fine. Only Rodrygo, who had a knock," Ancelotti told reporters in his post-match press conference.
Vinicius Junior, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao all appeared off the bench, but Toni Kroos was an unused substitute, with the Germany international being handed a rest.
Ancelotti has admitted that he wanted to give Militao more action, with the Brazil international only being introduced for the final exchanges.
Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended for next week's clash with Man City, but Militao's lack of minutes since his return from an ACL injury suggests that it will be difficult for him to start at the Etihad Stadium.
© Reuters
Militao only a late substitute against Mallorca
"I wanted to give him (Militao) more minutes in the second half, but the match was there. We put him in at the end to enhance the aerial game," said Ancelotti.
Real Madrid moved 11 points clear at the top of the La Liga table with their success over Mallorca, but the gap was again cut to eight by Barcelona later in the evening, with the reigning champions beating Cadiz 1-0.
"The game was as we expected. Mallorca always has a lot of commitment. In the first half we didn't do well, very slow. In the second part much better. It is a very important victory that brings us closer to the title. We have a good streak and now let's think about Wednesday. We have time to recover," he said.
"The team has been very solid and continuous and in this sense, what we have done... we have not always played well, but we have always competed.
"This is the good thing. Everyone talks about quality. It's true. We have a squad with a lot of quality, but the higher the quality, the more difficult it is to find commitment. Even now, we search for it."
Real Madrid will again definitely be without the services of injured duo Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba against Man City, while as mentioned, Tchouameni is out of the contest through suspension.
Matt Law
