Pep Guardiola Moans Fixture Congestion for Manchester City Ahead of Champions League QF Tie – “Real Madrid Has Nine Days to Prepare”

The ongoing English Premier League season has been full of twists and turns. And as we approach the final half of the campaign, teams have been struggling to keep up with the busy schedule. Most teams still alive in multiple competitions have been forced to play 2 fixtures a week because of fixture congestion. Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester City has been hit with their success, as the side’s fixtures have grown in leaps considering they are still alive in the Premier League, Champions League, and the FA Cup.

The Cityzens boss addressed the issue during his press conference before the clash against Arsenal. Guardiola was less than pleased talking about the fixture congestion comparing the team’s fixtures with their UCL opponents Real Madrid. Pep Guardiola stated, “We play against Villa at 20:15, then at 12:30 against Crystal Palace on Saturday! Then go to Madrid on Tuesday. Real Madrid has nine days to prepare, nine days! They play this weekend and they won’t until our game. The difference is a lot, I would like to ask for one more day but there is no possibility.”

Guardiola’s concerns are understandable as multiple Manchester City players have picked up injuries throughout the season. Kyle Walker and John Stones picked up injuries during the international break earlier this month putting the side in a tough situation. The two aren’t the only casualties with Phil Foden and Ruben Dias reportedly playing despite fractures this season. It will be interesting to see how Pep Guardiola manages his men in the upcoming weeks.

Pep Guardiola facing massive headache with multiple top stars’ fitness’ under scrutiny

Injuries and Manchester City have had a close relationship this season. The team kickstarted their season with a horrible injury to Kevin De Bruyne, taking him out for 6 months. Since then at no point, the team has been completely injury-free for an entire week. All of the players on the team have picked some kind of injury this season putting the campaign at risk. However, despite the setbacks Pep Guardiola has kept his side motivated as the team remains in contention to complete a consecutive treble.

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The game against Arsenal might prove to be the team’s biggest challenge as the team will be without the services of two of their top defenders. However, there are some silver linings for the defending champions with Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne expected to make a return during the game. A loss against Arsenal could put a massive dent in the defending champions’ hope of lifting the league title, with Liverpool bagging a crucial win over Brighton to go to the top of the standings.

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