Pep Guardiola said that two 'important events' in Liverpool in one day Photo: Getty Images/Gonzalo Arroyo
Pep Guardiola hopes Liverpool's Eurovision Song Contest this weekend won't jeopardize Manchester City's treble chances after their match at Everton was rescheduled a day ago.
< p>City's match at Goodison Park was originally scheduled for this Saturday but was chosen for TV and there was no place to reschedule it because it conflicted with Eurovision, which took place at the Liverpool Arena, and events and screenings throughout the city influenced the work of the police.
That means Guardiola's team has one day less to prepare for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid on Wednesday, while the Spaniards play Getafe on Saturday night.
“I don't get it” . This. But I don't want to fight for it anymore,” Guardiola said. “I have to adapt. I no longer fight over schedules, UEFA, the Premier League and so on.
“I'm pretty sure the Premier League wants to help the teams, not create discomfort. The problem is the schedule, so many competitions and games. This is the problem.
“We can't play on Saturday because of Eurovision or something like that in Liverpool and we don't have a lot of police to deal with two important events at the same time. What can I do? We would have preferred to play on Saturday to be better prepared.
“It's not about the Premier League or the fact that in France and Germany they play on Friday [before the Champions League games], here it's the other way around. The Premier League is more important, schedule schedule, day by day. We can't stop. But from the first day I felt it, and it will not change.”
Guardiola believes his team needs to win three of their last four games to win the Premier League as he expects Arsenal to win the remaining games this season against Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves.
We have little chance of success. mistake in City's pre-match game, but Real Madrid's semi-final is also on the knife's edge after a 1-1 draw at the Bernabéu last week against an Everton side who scored five goals behind Brighton in his last match and the fight for survival.
“I have been in the Premier League for 11 months. I don't want to be distracted by Madrid, I have time, but not much time because we play on Sunday, thank you very much,” Guardiola added sarcastically.
“Definitely they [Arsenal] will win three games. So we know exactly what we need to do to win the Premier League. I would like them to play against Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves. I would like them to reset their points. I think that in the long weeks of preparation they will score nine points.”
City also have to prepare for the FA Cup final on 3 June and Guardiola could use his team after resisting the use of any substitutions in the first leg against Real Madrid. Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden are among those poised to be recalled, while Nathan Ake is on the verge of returning from injury.
“I talk to the physiotherapists and staff and make a decision. There are many games to choose from, maybe you don't believe me, but I rely a lot on them, on everything,” Guardiola said. “There are players who are so important to us.
“Let's see if they can play every three or four days. In the match against Leeds, people say they are tired. The next game is very demanding, then Goodison Park, the game against Madrid. That's a lot of games.
“When you play a lot of games, that's fine. We have games from the past that we have to use now. There are many games. When you only play in one competition, it's completely different. Now that's what it is.”
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