- City will face Watford in the League Cup just 49 hours after facing Arsenal
- Guardiola’s team rejected the opportunity to play the match in London a day later
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Pep Guardiola has revealed that Manchester City have turned down the chance to change the location and date of an upcoming Carabao Cup tie to help ease fixture congestion.
The Premier League champions are preparing for a busy first leg of the new campaign as domestic league and cup games are joined by European fixtures.
City are scheduled to play four games in three different competitions over the next 11 fixtures, starting with Saturday’s home clash with Brentford. Next week, they will only have one full day between clashes with Arsenal and Watford.
The City boss revealed his side have been offered the option of playing the Hornets on Thursday or moving the game to London, which would allow them to face Manchester United on Wednesday when they play in the Europa League at Old Trafford.
The expanded European calendar will wreak havoc on the schedules of several teams, according to the Spaniard, who at the time urged authorities to consider player safety.
Pep Guardiola has revealed that City have turned down the chance to reschedule an upcoming Carabao Cup tie
Manchester City face a tough schedule in their quest for domestic and European glory
“It’s going to happen a lot. When someone creates a new competition, it’s going to be even worse,” he told reporters ahead of Brentford’s visit. “It’s impossible to fix all the schedules and calendars.
‘People say that players and coaches with money shouldn’t complain, but it’s not that, it’s a question of health.
“Doctors say bodies need to recover for four or five days. It took us three, and now it takes two.
“We are not going to change, meetings are useless. If they decide they are going to do it, they will do it.”
On the decision to host next week’s League Cup tie at the Etihad, he added: “I’d rather play at home than go to London because this way our fans can watch this lovely, lovable team at home.
‘That’s why I decided to play on Tuesday. If we had said Thursday we wouldn’t have had time to recover to go to Newcastle.
“We hope to be able to select two teams and be fit and injury-free, but everyone knows the schedule will be tight this season.”
Erling Haaland is a doubt for Brentford’s weekend visit following the death of a family friend this week
The Premier League champions’ relentless schedule begins on Saturday afternoon with a clash against Thomas Frank’s side. The Bees are the last team to secure a win at the Etihad, almost two years ago.
City could be without star player Erling Haaland, who could be granted compassionate leave following the death of a family friend this week.
