Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about his team’s schedule ahead of their upcoming Champions League tie with Real Madrid, acknowledging both the benefits and drawbacks of their upcoming fixture timing.
City face Newcastle in the Premier League this weekend in a match scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. local kickoff. Guardiola had previously voiced frustration about the timing, suggesting that it would have been preferable for the match to take place earlier in the day alongside the rest of the league’s fixtures.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, the Spanish coach explained that while the timing has one logistical benefit, it also creates a challenge for his squad ahead of their European commitment.
“This has one advantage, which is that we don’t travel today. We’ll travel tomorrow, play, and return. The disadvantage is that we’ll have less recovery time before the Real Madrid game,” Guardiola said.
After their match against Newcastle, City will return to Manchester and remain there until Tuesday afternoon. At that point, the team will travel to Madrid for Wednesday’s Champions League round-of-16 first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.
As part of their preparation, Guardiola’s side will maximize the time spent at their training facilities in England. Instead of holding a final session at the Bernabéu, the team plans to train at their own complex before flying to Spain.
Guardiola also highlighted the demanding run of fixtures his squad is currently navigating, stressing that rotation will be essential as City juggle domestic and European competitions.
” We have a lot of games in a very short period of time. A lot of travel, the fatigue is there, we have to go to Madrid, then to London… We need to use every player in the squad if we want to play at the level we want .”
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