Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, was unimpressed with his team’s truncated preparation period for today’s match.
Guardiola said after the March draw: “Madrid have nine days to prepare for our match. Nine days! They’re playing this weekend, then not until our game – while I’m like, “Oh, just give me one more day!”
“With one more day, the difference is big… but there is no chance. That’s why when you ask me about schedule changes, I give my opinion, but forget it. I defend my club and for my club it’s really difficult to play every three days, three days, three days – and other clubs are not in this situation.
“In France, PSG does not play between its quarter-finals. In Portugal, they often play on the Friday before the Champions League. They (the FA and the Premier League) have their own affairs and their own decisions.