Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has accused the Premier League of hindering his team’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
Following their FA Cup final against Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday, City are set to face Bournemouth at the Etihad just 72 hours later in their fight for a Champions League spot.
Guardiola disclosed that City had requested a 24-hour delay for the Bournemouth game, but the Premier League rejected their appeal.
In a move to ensure equal recovery time for both Europa League final opponents, Manchester United and Aston Villa, the Premier League rescheduled Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur to Friday night, leaving City with a challenging fixture schedule.
Guardiola told journalists: “I would prefer to play on Wednesday – definitely. We’ve been fighting against this situation every single season for nine years. We’re going to play on Tuesday night, against an intense, physical and powerful team.
“Bournemouth are playing for the Europa League, and we have to deal with that. Tottenham play on Friday – and this is what we should do.
“It doesn’t change much to play Wednesday instead of Tuesday, but they [the Premier League] decide.”
