UEFA Champions League
Premier League teams always have the toughest schedules, says Guardiola
Premier League teams have it tougher than their European rivals due to their demanding fixture list, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said on Friday as his team prepare to face Arsenal four days after a key Champions League match.
City scraped through to the knockout round of Europe’s elite competition on Wednesday with a 3-1 win over Club Brugge and had little time to recover before resuming their league campaign.
They were also drawn on Friday morning to take on European giants Real Madrid in the two-legged Champions League playoffs.
“In the Premier League, every team has to play everyone,” Guardiola said. “But normally in Premier League they always put the toughest schedules for teams in Europe in the important stages, schedule the most difficult ones, because it is tough to play against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.”
Guardiola grew prickly when asked whether the league should do more to help clubs, saying the problem existed well before his arrival in Manchester.
“Are you asking me that question after many years here? Come on. Don’t make me (answer) that question,” he said. “You have been here many years before me and it has always been like that. I’m not complaining because we have incredible success playing that calendar.
“It’s always been like that. We accept it. I’m not complaining because we won the trebles and had success doing like that.
“I said many times, last season, we played the quarter-final against Madrid and three days later we had the FA Cup semi-final in Wembley when we could have another day. But we survive. I remember when I was in Barcelona and followed the Premier League and Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger made the same complaints.
“Do you think it is going to change? The broadcasters decide, they don’t ask me what is better to play.”
City are fourth in the league standings on 41 points, six behind second-placed Arsenal. Guardiola’s side will be without Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and Jeremy Doku, who all remain injured.
The manager denied any rift with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta amid what has become a heated battle between the two sides. Arteta was part of Guardiola’s City staff for three-and-a-half years.
“With him and his family, (our relationship is) exceptional,” Guardiola said. “Of course not in touch now, he has his business and I have mine and other games, but the respect we have is always there.”
-Reuters
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Manchester City have been drawn against 15-time European Cup winners Real Madrid while Celtic will face Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout round play-offs.
City, the 2023 Champions League winners, will host Madrid at Etihad Stadium on 11 or 12 February before travelling to Spain for the second leg the following week.
Celtic will face Bayern Munich at Celtic Park before the Bundesliga club host Brendan Rodgers’ side at Allianz Arena in the second leg.
- Brest vs PSG
- Monaco vs Benfica
- Juventus vs PSG
- Feyenoord vs Milan
- Man City vs Madrid
- Celtic vs Bayern
- Club Brugge vs Atalanta
- Sporting vs Dortmund
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Following is the final table for league phase of the Champions League competition for the 2024-25 season:
Top eight sides in the league phase qualify automatically for the round of 16.
1. Liverpool
2. Barcelona
3. Arsenal
4. Inter Milan
5. Atletico Madrid
6. Bayer Leverkusen
7. Lille
8. Aston Villa
The teams finishing in ninth to 24th place go to the two-legged knockout playoffs.
9. Atalanta
10. Borussia Dortmund
11. Real Madrid
12. Bayern Munich
13. AC Milan
14. PSV Eindhoven
15. Paris St Germain
16. Benfica
17. Monaco
18. Brest
19. Feyenoord
20. Juventus
21. Celtic
22. Manchester City
23. Sporting
24. Club Brugge
The teams from 25th to 36 are out of the competition.
25. Dinamo Zagreb
26. VfB Stuttgart
27. Shakhtar Donetsk
28. Bologna
29. Red Star Belgrade
30. Sturm Graz
31. Sparta Prague
32. RB Leipzig
33. Girona
34. RB Salzburg
35. Slovan Bratislava
36. Young Boys
The draw for knockout playoffs will take place on Jan.31.
-Reuters
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Liverpool’s 100% record in the Champions League ended when they lost 3-2 at PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday but it was mission accomplished for Arne Slot’s side as they finished top of the revamped group stage.
A much-changed Liverpool, bidding to make it eight wins from eight, led twice in the Netherlands through Cody Gakpo’s penalty, against his old club, and Harvey Elliott.
Johan Bakayoko and Ismael Saibari equalised for PSV and Ricardo Pepi completed a remarkable first half by scoring what turned out to be the winner in stoppage time.
Liverpool ended with 10 men after debutant Amara Nallo was shown a straight red card for a rash challenge, shortly after coming on as a substitute.
Despite the loss, only their third of the season in all competitions, Slot’s side topped the group stage with 21 points, two ahead of Barcelona who could only draw their last game against Atalanta.
PSV will have to take their chances in the playoffs as they finished in 14th place.
“We can take a lot of positives from tonight and it was a chance to give the young lads a chance,” Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said. “We got our noses in front at 2-1 and then were a bit naive, which usually doesn’t happen.
“Results went our way elsewhere so we finish top and that’s what we wanted at the start of the season.”
Gakpo got the chance to silence his former fans after Joey Veerman brought down Federico Chiesa.
Bakayoko equalised with a clinical finish after leaving two Liverpool defenders on the deck in the 35th minute but Elliott restored the visitors’ lead five minutes later when he poached a rebound after an effort by Chiesa was saved.
Saibari thumped a second equaliser high past Caoimhin Kelleher to make it 2-2 before American Pepi provided the deftest of touches to turn Mauro Junior’s cross over the line.
The pace dropped after the interval as Gakpo departed to an ovation from both sets of fans.
Nallo came on for his senior Liverpool debut in the final minutes but it will not be the happiest of memories as he was shown a red card for a rash challenge on Bakayoko having been on the pitch for four minutes.
“It is cruel but he has never played first-team football before and to make your debut in the Champions League is probably the hardest,” Slot said of the 18-year-old.
-Reuters
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