Manchester City will adjust to a demanding week ahead by using its academy players, manager Pep Guardiola said before the start of its UEFA Champions League campaign.
Guardiola’s side are bracing for a whirlwind, as an independent hearing into City’s alleged 115 breaches of Premier League financial regulations is set to begin on Monday, two days before it hosts Serie A champion Inter Milan in the Champions League.
City will then host Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday and Watford in the third round of the League Cup next Tuesday. Guardiola said his side will need to acclimatise to the season ahead, in which it is projected to play about 75 games.
Many City players, including Kevin De Bruyne, Manuel Akanji, and Bernardo Silva, have voiced concerns about the crammed calendar this season with an expanded Champions League format and the Club World Cup.
“I have no opinion (on the format),” Guardiola told reporters. “UEFA decided this and we want to be there so we will play that format.
“Yes, there are more games (in the calendar), but it is what it is. What can we do? On Wednesday, we play the best team in Italy then on Sunday we play best contender of last two seasons.
“Then Tuesday another game. We have an Academy. We have to adapt and go. I like to play Champions League, so we are going to play.”
All three European club competitions have been expanded to 36 teams this season and FIFPRO’s European member unions have started legal action against FIFA over the expanded men’s 32-team Club World Cup, starting next June in the United States.
Last season, England recorded the highest number of domestic back-to-back matches, 87, among top European leagues, with Premier League clubs averaging the shortest recovery time between games at 67.3 hours.
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