Pep Guardiola responds to Premier League scheduling of Man City’s nightmare run-in | OneFootball

Manchester City face a staggering six games in just three weeks, and three games in 11 days later this month following confirmation of the final few rescheduled fixtures.

The logistical nightmare comes during the business end of the 2025/26 campaign, following a relentless April that featured the Blues’ crucial 2-1 victory over Arsenal and reach a fourth consecutive FA Cup Final.

In light of those results, the Premier League have now opted to rearrange the home game against Crystal Palace into a Wednesday night slot, and Bournemouth away into a Tuesday night slot after a Saturday afternoon clash with Chelsea in the FA Cup Final.

Pep Guardiola’s squad will no doubt now be pushed to its physical limit, with the likes of Rodri and Ruben Dias managing recent fitness and injury issues, and club medical staff keen to manage workload whilst ensuring maximum performance.

Despite mounting pressure, Manchester City remain the masters of their own destiny in the Premier League and FA Cup, knowing that maximum points from their remaining league fixtures – starting with Everton on Monday – will likely see them crowned champions.

“It is what it is!” – Guardiola deflects schedule frustration

Speaking to reporters for the first time since Manchester City’s final six games were confirmed across competitions, Pep Guardiola snubbed any notion of frustration over the schedule as he insisted it is merely something he and his players must accept.

“It is what it is. I would prefer to even play a Champions League semi-final. It is what it is,” Guardiola said on Friday morning, ahead of facing Everton away from home on Monday night.

“When we won the Treble and Quadruple, always we had this type of calendar,” he continued. “Of course, it could be better, but I never expected from a LONG time ago something.

“It is what it is. We will adapt. We’ll play game by game.”

Manchester City’s final sprint in the 2025/26 season

Following the trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium and a home meeting with Brentford on Saturday evening, City face a relentless Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday sequence with Crystal Palace at home, Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Cup Final, and Bournemouth away.

Pep Guardiola is likely to hand continued minutes to January signing Marc Guéhi and Nico O’Reilly in that run, as the pair continue to star alongside the likes of Abdukodir Khusanov and Rayan Cherki when it matters most.

While Arsenal have a slightly more favourable run-in, Manchester City’s experience in navigating run-ins with silverware on the line could be their greatest advantage, and should the club emerge from a three-week gauntlet with trophy hopes intact, it may go down as one of Pep Guardiola’s most impressive feats to date.