The Ballon d’Or winner has been out of action since September after suffering a ligament injury to his right knee.
After spending the first part of his recovery in Spain, he can now regularly be seen with Guardiola’s squad at training and matches.
MATCH PREVIEW | LEYTON ORIENT V CITY
The boss was asked about Rodri’s potential return this season in Friday’s press conference after he was included in our Champions League squad for the remainder of this season’s tournament.
“The rule is that we can just add three players. Vitor Reis unfortunately we cannot do it,” he explained.
“I would love to add all four in the Champions League and then at the end Rodri could be there.
“I would love if we arrive in the last stages of the Champions League that he can help us but I will not put one second of pressure on.
“In my mind, it’s next season for Rodri but maybe he comes back earlier, that would be good for us.”
Watch the embargoed section of the press conference above...
Leyton Orient v City app coverage
Our official app allows you to follow all of the action from East London in one place.
Minute-by-minute text updates will begin in our Matchday Centre two hours before kick-off, while our Matchday Live show will begin at around 11:00 (UK).
Former City players Paul Dickov and Nicky Weaver will be the guests on the latest Matchday Live show, offering their expert insight before, during and after the action.
During the game CITY+ subscribers can also listen to live audio commentary from Alistair Mann and Michael Brown while our text commentary continues.
Our radio commentary, which is free for every Premier League and Champions League match, has to be behind a paywall when we face lower league sides in the domestic cups due to the competition’s regulations.
Make sure to have push notifications turned on as well, so you can be alerted to key moments in the action, including goals, red cards and the team news.
Both a shortened and extended highlights package can be accessed from 12:00 on Sunday 9 February while a full-match replay (via CITY+) will follow from midnight.
