Manchester City ‘exhausted’ ahead of FA Cup semifinal, says Guardiola

City’s 1-1 draw with Bayern in its quarterfinal second leg secured a 4-1 win on aggregate that assured it a semifinal spot in Europe’s elite club competition for a third successive season.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola looks on ahead of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg match against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on April 19, 2023. 

Manchester City players are exhausted ahead of their FA Cup semifinal against Sheffield United at Wembley this weekend, manager Pep Guardiola said, after his side knocked Bayern Munich out of the Champions League on Wednesday.

City’s 1-1 draw with Bayern in its quarterfinal second leg secured a 4-1 win on aggregate that assured it a semifinal spot in Europe’s elite club competition for a third successive season.

Guardiola’s side will face Real Madrid in the last four.

Guardiola’s side is also in the hunt for the Premier League title, sitting four points behind leader Arsenal with a game in hand.

“The team is exhausted, so I don’t know how we are going to recover to play against Sheffield United because we play on Saturday,” Guardiola told BT Sport.

“It’s so demanding, so I don’t know how we will arrive because now is a tough moment for the game on Saturday.”

Guardiola said defender Nathan Ake would undergo tests later on Thursday to check the extent of a suspected hamstring injury after he was taken off in the second half against Bayern.