**Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has suggested he may tone down the number of rotations he makes to his starting line-up at Real Madrid on Wednesday night.**
The Premier League giants head into a significant Champions League trip to the Bernabéu buoyed by a confident 3–0 win over Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium, allowing them to tighten the title race further having taken full advantage of Arsenal’s defeat to Aston Villa.
Despite the convincing scoreline, it was also a performance built on stability, with Pep Guardiola opting again for a more consistent selection rather than the heavy rotation seen in some matches. City were made to work for their breakthrough, encountering a stubborn low block that kept them at arm’s length for much of the first half.
It took a remarkable long-range strike from Ruben Dias, followed shortly after by a towering header from Josko Gvardiol, to seize control. Phil Foden later added a third from a Rayan Cherki delivery, rounding off a measured but dominant display that kept momentum intact.
The victory was also another indication that Guardiola is temporarily favouring continuity over experimentation, especially after the defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the previous Champions League outing. Questions surrounding squad rotation naturally resurfaced post-match, particularly with Real Madrid looming.
Having limited the number of recent changes to starting line-ups after the defeat to Leverkusen, Pep Guardiola has been asked whether he will now return to significant alterations for the midweek clash in the Spanish capital.
“No, you destroyed me. So I said I don’t want to be destroyed again for substitutions. I want to be kind to you,” Guardiola responded in a light-hearted exchange with one reporter.
“No reason why. I decided on that,” he continued on the limited number of changes in recent contests. “And in the Bernabeu we’ll see what happens in the next three days, four days. In the moment, we’ll see.
“But of course, we needed today Omar \[Marmoush to go on\]. Omar is for me one of the best. I know I see him as a striker and the striker is Erling \[Haaland\], sometimes he has maybe less minutes than maybe he deserves.
“But he makes four, five movements in behind that was unbelievable and that’s why Nico could pass these two balls in behind to him. But we will see. Now it’s time, honestly, to enjoy today and tomorrow we’ll start to think about the Champions League.”
Pep Guardiola’s remarks hint strongly that continuity is likely to remain the theme in midweek, with only minimal tweaks expected rather than wholesale changes. With key figures such as Erling Haaland and Phil Foden in excellent rhythm, the City boss may prioritise chemistry and match sharpness over fresh legs.
Much will rest on how players recover in the coming days, especially with the manager noting the importance of monitoring fitness levels ahead of such a high-stakes fixture. Omar Marmoush’s mention suggests he could play an impact role again, whether from the start or off the bench, particularly given his pace and movement in behind.
Ultimately, Manchester City’s approach at the Bernabéu may be shaped less by rotation strategy and more by Pep Guardiola’s confidence in the core group that delivered against Sunderland.