LONDON — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he would have preferred seven days to prepare for the FA Cup final like opponents Chelsea, but acknowledged the compressed schedule is the price of success in other domestic competitions.
With City also winning the League Cup this season, their schedule has been tight with Premier League and FA Cup games in the home stretch of the season as they chase a domestic treble, Reuters reported.
City is two points behind Arsenal in the Premier League and Guardiola said their rushed preparation after beating Crystal Palace on Wednesday has been far from ideal ahead of Saturday’s final at Wembley Stadium.
“I would prefer to have seven days like Chelsea had but when you reach the final of the Carabao Cup (League Cup) and you win one of these domestic trophies, then you have less days,” Guardiola told reporters.
“The schedule is what it is. Of course, it’s not ideal but we did it in the past and we’ll have to do it tomorrow. The big clubs, when you are in more difficult circumstances than the opponent, you do extra to try to do it.
“It’s not the perfect scenario to prepare for the final because we didn’t train absolutely anything since Crystal Palace. But I rely a lot on what we have to do and we’re going to try.”
City have reached their fourth straight FA Cup final but Guardiola said he hopes they can “do better than the last two times” and make their fans proud after losing to Manchester United in 2024 and Crystal Palace last year.
“The message (to the players) is how we have to move, run, play against Chelsea to beat them,” he said.
“It is the FA Cup final at Wembley with two prestigious clubs, with our fans that make an incredible effort to come down to London – which today is not cheap – and try to perform as good as possible to win.”
Wembley holds a special place in Guardiola’s heart, having won the Champions League title at the stadium with Barcelona while he has led City 24 times to the iconic arena.
“I’m so disappointed with English football for not making (renaming) a stand for Pep… So many times I’ve been there, so at least a lounge or a box,” he joked.
“Maybe I need to go 24 more times. It’s been a special place, definitely.”
Guardiola said they will make a late fitness call on midfielder Rodri while the rest of the squad is fit.
