Pep Guardiola fuming at Premier League's fixture decision ahead of Manchester City vs Real Madrid

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed his frustration with the Premier League's tight schedule. The Spaniard was concerned about his players' fitness levels after it was revealed that the Cityzens would play three games in nine days.

Speaking ahead of the side's clash with Arsenal, Guardiola said:

“So we play Aston Villa at 20:15 (Wednesday), playing 12:30 (against Crystal Palace) Saturday, 12:30! And after we go to Madrid on Tuesday, Madrid have nine days to prepare our game, nine days!

“Playing this weekend, until our game, no plays. And I would like to think, ‘Oh give me one more day’, because one more day the difference is a lot. But there’s no chance. That’s why you ask me about the calendar? I give my opinion, forget about it."

April will prove to be an absolutely packed month for Manchester City. They are set to play eight games across three competitions, including the Premier League, the FA Cup semifinals as well as the Champions League quarterfinals.

Following their clash against Arsenal today, they will face Aston Villa midweek followed by a trip to London to face Crystal Palace. They will rest for under three days before once again travelling to Madrid for the first leg of their UCL quarter-finals.

That is followed by a clash against Luton Town, the second leg against Los Blancos after which they travel to London once again in under three days to face Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Cup.

Manchester City are already without Kyle Walker and John Stones for the match against the Gunners after suffering injuries during the international break.

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Pep Guardiola emphasises importance of Manchester City vs Arsenal clash

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola claimed that the side's upcoming clash against Arsenal was akin to a final. Speaking ahead of the game, the Spaniard insisted that the result of the fixture could play a massive role in the title race.

He said (via BBC):

"To win the Premier League you have to win almost all games I would say," said City boss Pep Guardiola. "I don't think Arsenal and Liverpool are going to drop much points.

"The experience Liverpool have in this situation, the quality of Arsenal winning I don't know how many games in a row, scoring lots of goals…. That's why [Sunday] is the final, absolutely. We play a final."

The title race promises to be extremely close this season with three teams separated by just one point with 10 games to go. Liverpool and Arsenal are separated only by goal difference with the defending champions a point behind.

Manchester City come into the game on a supreme run of form in the Premier League, winning 12 of their last 13 games. The only loss was a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the reverse fixture in October.