Guardiola's complaint about the calendar: “Madrid has 9 days to rest and we play on Sunday”

Pep Guardiola, Manchester City coach, has shown his dissatisfaction with the rest difference that his team will have with respect to Real Madrid ahead of the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.

City and Madrid will face each other in a two-legged tie, with the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu on April 14 and the return leg at the Etihad Stadium on April 21. However, City will have less rest than Madrid due to its competition schedule.

Guardiola criticized this situation in the press conference prior to the match against Arsenal: “Madrid has 9 days to rest, 9! We play on Sunday and travel on Tuesday, the difference is a lot…”

The Spanish coach also wondered why City is not given one more day of rest: “Why don't they give us one more day when the other teams are not playing in Europe? Are we going to fight with the television stations?”

Guardiola's complaint is understandablesince the difference in rest time can be an important factor in a match as demanding as the one between City and Madrid.

However, City also has its own advantages. Guardiola's team arrives at the tie in good form, while Madrid has shown some doubts in the two European round of 16 matches.

In addition, City will have the advantage of playing the second leg at homewhere it is usually a very strong team.

In short, the rest difference is a factor to take into account, but it will not be the only one that determines the result of the tie.. City and Madrid are two very strong teams and the tie is very open.

The first leg at the Bernabéu will be a great test for both teams. City will have to show that they can compete with Madrid at the highest level, even with six fewer days of rest.