Soccer

Pep Guardiola not worried about prospect of Manchester City facing fixture pile-up

Manager insists champions will ‘find a way’ to handle backlog

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland faces former club Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP via Getty Images
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland faces former club Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP via Getty Images
Tue Sept 13 2022 - 21:01

Pep Guardiola is not concerned about the prospect of a fixture pile-up later in the season. Manchester City’s game against Tottenham last weekend was postponed after the death of Queen Elizabeth and their trip to Arsenal on October 19th may be moved.

That is because Arsenal could reschedule their postponed Europa League tie against PSV Eindhoven for that midweek. With the World Cup due to interrupt the season for six weeks from mid-November, it seems unlikely these City games could be played before the new year. That could create a backlog in the second half of the campaign but Guardiola is not worrying about it now.

“The Premier League has the ability to find [room for] the fixtures,” City’s manager said before Wednesday’s Champions League match at home to Borussia Dortmund. “Maybe the Tottenham game will be in February or March because now I think it is not possible. We will find a way.

“There’s the Carabao Cup, FA Cup at that moment but we will find a way. We are going to play this postponed game, it’s not a problem. Always the fixtures were so tight every season.”

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The visit of Dortmund features Erling Haaland facing a quick reunion with the club he left in the summer. The striker has made a stunning impact at City, scoring 12 goals in eight appearances since his €58 million move. Manuel Akanji was also signed from Dortmund this summer and Sergio Gómez was there from 2018-21, although he spent much of that on loan.

“They know these players better than I know Dortmund players, that’s for sure,” said Guardiola, whose side beat Sevilla 4-0 in their opening Group G game last week with two goals from Haaland. “They can get that benefit but we’ll see [on Wednesday] if it’s an advantage or disadvantage.”

The City midfielder Ilkay Gündogan, another former Dortmund player, has been impressed by Haaland since his arrival. “The numbers speak for themselves,” he said. “He’s doing great on the pitch but his character, attitude and determination off the pitch is something incredible.”

City are hoping Haaland can prove the final piece of the jigsaw after years of near misses in the Champions League. “We will see,” Gündogan said. “It will be a very tough competition and little details can decide the outcome.”

On the other side of the coin, Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham admits he is not sure how his side can stop their former team-mate. Haaland scored a remarkable 86 goals in just 89 appearances for Dortmund before joining the Premier League champions.

“I’m not really sure how you stop him to be honest,” said England midfielder Bellingham. “We’ll have to find out tomorrow. He is a player with lot of quality and a lot of physical attributes that make him so dangerous. “It’s not an individual task. It is something the team has to do collectively. If we stick together and try to do the right things it can be possible.”

Dortmund arrive at the Etihad Stadium for their second Group G match having opened their campaign with a 3-0 win over FC Copenhagen last week. Yet teenage star Bellingham accepts City, who thrashed Sevilla 4-0 and are one of the favourites for the competition, will be a far tougher task.

The 19-year-old said: “Everyone has got to pull together to make sure we are all on the same page, otherwise they’ll pick us apart because they have the quality. It is important we are all together.”

For Bellingham the match is an opportunity to impress in front of an English audience as he looks to secure a place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad this winter.

He said: “There’s a really strong squad and if I want to go, which I do, I have to make sure I’m performing at my best as often as possible. I have to try to win for the club first and foremost but If I can continue doing that then hopefully I can be there.”

Bellingham has made a big impression since joining Dortmund from Birmingham two years ago and is already regarded as one of their senior players. He even captained the side for a short time against Copenhagen.

“That was a real honour,” said Bellingham, who scored when Dortmund faced City in the quarter-finals in 2021. “I didn’t think I’d have the impact that I have. I thought I’d have to wait longer to get in the team and play a lot of minutes.”

Inevitably his form has led to him being linked with a return to England but he is ignoring the speculation. He said: “The club has done loads for me, made me feel very welcome and given me the opportunities to develop further. To look past that and into the future would be disrespectful.”