Manchester City have been handed a brutal Premier League run-in after fixtures with Crystal Palace and Bournemouth were handed new dates
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola watches his side in FA Cup semi-final action against Southampton at Wembley
Manchester City have been handed a nightmare fixture schedule
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Manchester City's Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth have been given new dates with Blues' pleas falling on deaf ears.
City had been in talks with the Premier League over when the two matches could be slotted into the calendar and had hoped to avoid a trip to Bournemouth on the Tuesday after the FA Cup final with Chelsea at Wembley.
That would have avoided playing three games in seven days but the Premier League have rejected those appeals and inked the Bournemouth game on Tuesday, May 19. The game with Crystal Palace will take place on Wednesday, May 13 with the FA Cup final on Saturday, May 16.
The game with Palace cannot be played on a Tuesday, given Palace have a Sunday date with Everton on May 10. And the Bournemouth trip can't take place on the Wednesday as it clashes with the Europa League final. UEFA prefer to avoid domestic matches taking place at the same time as European games - particularly finals and particularly as the Premier League will have a representative in the European showpiece with Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest meeting in the last four.
That has forced City to travel to Bournemouth just three days after the FA Cup final at Wembley, meaning back to back lengthy trips and next to no training time. While it does afford City a longer run-in to the Villa game on the final day of the campaign, and potentially an extra day's rest compared to their opponents if Unai Emery's side make the final in Istanbul, it would condense five games into 16 days at a crucial period of the campaign.
It's a fixture pile-up that Pep Guardiola labelled as 'terrible' after the FA Cup semi-final win over Southampton.
"That is why I need the squad," he said. "That is why I need all of them. We cannot play with the same players every three days. It will not be possible. We have to manage with the substitutions and everyone has to make a step forward.
"Of course I demand more from some of them, more and more and more, and this is what you have to do."
City's run-in
Monday, May 4: Everton (A)
Saturday, May 9: Brentford (H)
Wednesday. May 13: Crystal Palace (H)
Saturday, May 16: Chelsea (N) FA Cup final
Tuesday, May 19: Bournemouth (A)
Sunday, May 24: Aston Villa (H)