Pep Guardiola has admitted concerns over Manchester City's ability to recover in time for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United, following their Champions League exertions against Bayern Munich. City secured a 4-1 aggregate victory over the German side after a 1-1 draw in the second leg in Munich, with Erling Haaland scoring his 48th goal of the season before Joshua Kimmich netted a late penalty.
Guardiola's side are chasing a historic treble, with a Premier League clash against Arsenal also looming next week. The City boss expressed worry about tiredness after the midweek European tie, noting that the FA Cup match comes just three days later. 'Every time we play FA Cup after this competition we are exhausted,' he told BT Sport. 'The team is exhausted, so I don't know how we are going to recover to play against Sheffield because we play on Saturday.'
Guardiola hinted at potential changes to his starting lineup to manage fatigue, as City aim to keep their treble hopes alive. The team will face Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals, while a Milan derby will decide their opponent in the final. Before that, City must navigate a crucial week that includes the FA Cup semi-final and a top-of-the-table Premier League encounter with Arsenal.
Haaland, who missed a first-half penalty in Munich before scoring, was praised by Guardiola for his finishing. 'The finishing from Erling was really, really good,' Guardiola said. 'He is so young. Everyone here feels the pressure... The experience that we have in this competition, the players feel it a lot, they want to do it really well. The pressure is there.'
