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Manchester City begin their Champions League campaign this week and face Arsenal in a heavyweight Premier League clash on Sunday. The fixture scheduling has handed Pep Guardiola a problem.
Manchester City kick off their Champions League campaign on Thursday night with an eagerly awaited clash against Napoli at the Etihad.
The Blues face Italian opposition first up for the second successive continental campaign having drawn 0-0 with Inter Milan at this stage a year ago.
And, just like this week's Champions League fixtures, that encounter came immediately before a crunch Premier League clash between City and Arsenal.
Twelve months ago the clash was in Manchester and City were given an extra day to prepare having played Inter 24 hours before the Gunners, who were away at Atalanta the following night.
That stuck in the craw of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta at the time with the Emirates chief saying: "We wanted the same as them, we’re not getting it, so we have to adapt and make the most of the time that we have today and tomorrow and on the morning of the match to prepare in the best way to go there and win the game."
The pulsating contest ended 2-2 with City rescuing a point in the dying stages and the tension between the sides palpable as Bernardo Silva and John Stones spoke about Arsenal's dark arts.
The Gunners romped to victory in last season's capital encounter and City, buoyed by their Manchester derby success, will be hoping for improvements this time around. But they will have to do so with 48 hours fewer to prepare.
Arsenal are in action on Tuesday night, away at Athletic Bilbao in an early 5.45pm kick off. City will not finish their contest with Napoli until around 10pm on Thursday, with the Gunners' match ending around 50 hours earlier. Even allowing for the travel time back from Spain, that offers Arteta's side an advantage that Pep Guardiola is unlikely to take in his stride.
The City boss was asked about that specific fixture scheduling ahead of the derby with Manchester United but opted not to get involved in the chatter. He may address the issue when he faces the media again on Wednesday.
Guardiola has often spoken out about the scheduling in the past while Rodri suggested last year that players were considering going on strike such was the volume of matches they were playing.
Given the nature of City's week, with a derby and a game against the Italian champions preceding the heavyweight clash with Arsenal, the tight turnaround will do Guardiola's men few favours.
“The schedule is what it is,” said Guardiola ahead of the European tie with Real Madrid in February.
“In the Premier League everyone has to play everyone but what normally happens is we have tougher schedules for the [Premier League] teams in Europe. It’s tough playing against Real Madrid, the problem is in the middle playing Newcastle.”
He sarcastically added: “They are always so kind with the calendar, for many years it always happened that way.”
He added: “When I was training at Barcelona I followed the Premier League – because it’s the most attractive league in the world – and Sir Alex Ferguson, José Mourinho, Arsène Wenger made the same complaints. It’s been this way for nine years. Do you think it’s going to change? The broadcasters decide, they don’t ask me.
“They play on Friday before the Champions League in Portugal and France, to have one more day [rest]. It’s not a problem, it’s fine. No surprises when we see the calendar."
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