News

Guardiola: Foden's return is key ahead of busy schedule

19 Apr 2023

Man City manager hails midfielder's importance as his team continue to fight on three fronts

Pep Guardiola says Phil Foden’s return is a major boost as Manchester City battle for three trophies.

Tonight’s match at Bayern Munich in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals is the first of six fixtures in the space of just 19 days.

In addition to their bid to win the European crown for the first time, Guardiola’s side are in the FA Cup semi-finals and are locked in a thrilling Premier League title duel with Arsenal, hosting the leaders in a top-two showdown next Wednesday.

“We’re delighted [Phil is back],” Guardiola told the club’s official website. “Definitely it’s good news for us.

“[How minutes he is capable of] I don’t know. Ninety, for sure no. But his physicality is special. He is a special player who doesn't need a lot of training sessions to be fit.

“But he’s important - not just for tomorrow, but for the tight schedule we have ahead of us.”

Man City's next six matches

Date	Competition	Opp.
Wed 19 Apr	Champions League	Bayern Munich (A)
Sat 22 Apr	FA Cup	Sheff Utd (Wembley)
Wed 26 Apr	Premier League	Arsenal (H)
Sun 30 Apr	Premier League	Fulham (A)
Wed 3 May	Premier League	West Ham (H)
Sun 7 May	Premier League	Leeds (H)

While Man City take a 3-0 aggregate lead into tonight’s Champions League match at the Allianz Arena in Germany, Guardiola is expecting a challenge against his former club.

“I’ve been here at Bayern Munich and I know the mentality of this club,” he said. “It’s everywhere, it’s in the skin. I know they believe they can do it.

“This is an opportunity to prove ourselves versus one of the best in Europe and we’ll try to impose our game."

Michael Owen believes Man City's busy schedule could help them in the Premier League title race, rather than undermining their bid to be champions for the third successive season.

Video is currently not available.

"Some people think it's an advantage for Arsenal to just be focusing on the Premier League now, but I was talking to David Seaman and he thinks there's a lot of thinking time for Arsenal at the moment," says Owen.

“Manchester City, their mindset is going from Champions League to FA Cup to Premier League. They're just keeping busy every three or four days, they're winning games.

"That almost makes you stop thinking about the Premier League title race because you're dotting from game to game, competition to competition, so it will be fascinating to see how it plays out.”