Why Pep Guardiola fears repeat of Chelsea performance when Man City face Nottingham Forest

For the second weekend in a row Pep Guardiola is approaching a game concerned about the physical demands on his Manchester City players.

Last Saturday, Guardiola labelled the decision to schedule the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea just three days after the draining Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid as ‘unacceptable’. The Catalan also expressed his worry for the health of his players after what was clearly a tired display, and claimed he couldn’t understand how the team ‘survived’ the game at Wembley.

But Guardiola fears that the preparations for Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest are even less desirable given the Blues’ late finish at Brighton leaves the team with a short turnaround of less than 72 hours before the trip to the City Ground.

“The schedule is tight and now we have less recovery than between Madrid and Chelsea,” the City manager said after the 4-0 win at the Amex, which leaves the champions a point behind leaders Arsenal.

“We played at home against Madrid, so we were in bed earlier than we are going to arrive today,” he explained. “We played Crystal Palace at 12:30 [on 6 April] and we arrived [home] at 5/6 that afternoon. 

“To go to Madrid [three days later], it was really good because we had a proper dinner, a rest and go. But to arrive at 2/3 [in the morning after Brighton] is not good because the players have a few more hours to sleep and have to wake up and recover. 

“The bed and rest is one of the most important things to recover and we don’t have time. After tomorrow we say hi, go home and the day after arrive in the training centre, take the luggage and go to Nottingham. 

“It is what it is. We are used to it and in the past, when we won the treble, it was similar. Let’s go. Good attitude, good rest, good food and hopefully the good selection to win the game.”

It’s not just the short rest time that concerns Guardiola ahead of the clash against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. City drew 1-1 at Forest last season, their only slip-up in a 15-game run from February 2023 that saw the Blues secure a seventh Premier League title.

And Guardiola is anticipating another tough test on the banks of the river Trent, especially given Forest are mired in the grips of a relegation scrap.

“I have been once or twice in that stadium and the atmosphere is unbelievable,” the former former Barcelona manager said ahead of Sunday’s game. “Maybe extra for the fact they are in a relegation battle. 

“It’s so important the result, especially with Everton winning [against Liverpool]. But what I am concerned about is [Callum] Hudson-Odoi, all the strikers they have. We have to control the weapons they have. 

“We are used to playing in [tough] environments and we are going to try and do what we do. They are going to try and use the home ground and people to support, that is normal.”