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Manchester City's Pep Guardiola has expressed his disappointment at a Premier League decision that gives Real Madrid an edge in the UEFA Champions League semifinals
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been frustrated by the Premier League’s decision to move his side’s fixture against Everton to Sunday, with the Cityzen also due to play Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg on Wednesday.
Manchester City to play a day later than planned
Manchester City were due to play against Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, but the league decided to honour a request from Liverpool city authorities to move the match to Sunday to accommodate the city hosting this year’s Eurovision competition.
The 2023 Eurovision finals are set to take place in Liverpool on Saturday, the same location as Manchester City’s tie against Everton, and the city authorities requested that the Premier League match be moved as they would struggle to safely police both activities on the same day, prompting a postponement of the match to Sunday.
With Manchester City set to play against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, Guardiola has expressed disappointment in the decision to push the fixture back by a day, costing the Cityzens an extra day of rest ahead of the crucial European tie.
Guardiola unhappy with Premier League schedule
Speaking ahead of the Everton game, Guardiola said, “I can’t understand it but I’m not going to fight it anymore.”
The Manchester City boss also said his team will have to adapt to the change in the schedule and hoped that the lack of an extended break would help them remain sharp for the Real Madrid game.
He said, “I don’t understand it, but we have to adapt. The schedules, it is what it is.
“I’m sure Premier League want to help teams, they don’t want to make us uncomfortable.
“I think we cannot play on Saturday because there is Eurovision in Liverpool and there is not enough bodies, or the capability, to handle so many people in the city.”
Manchester City’s opponents in the UCL, Real Madrid play against Getafe on Saturday rather than Sunday, giving them an advantage of an extra 24 hours of rest compared to the Cityzens.
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