The big winners from Manchester City's bruising progress to the Champions League semi-finals could ultimately prove to be their title rivals Liverpool.
As City's players woke in Madrid before flying to London for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool, it was hard to escape the feeling Diego Simeone's belligerent Atletico side had played a significant role in the destiny of both the Premier League title and FA Cup. City boss Pep Guardiola admitted he was left with “big problems” as he counted the cost of Atletico's uncompromising approach, with injuries to star man Kevin De Bruyne and defender Kyle Walker, and Joao Cancelo suspended from the semi-final first leg against Real Madrid.
Guardiola knew he and his players would face a hostile welcome and a huge test of their collective mental and physical resolve against Simeone's cynical and conniving Spanish champions. But it is doubtful the City boss could have foreseen the potential toll the snarling, 102-minute battle at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium would take on his squad in their pursuit of the Treble.
Jurgen Klopp's side, who booked their semi-final place with a 6-4 aggregate win over Benfica, are favourites to win the FA Cup encounter with City to maintain their hopes of an historic quadruple. Liverpool have no such injury problems heading into the latest instalment of their epic rivalry with City. While both managers are expected to make several changes in personnel, Klopp can rotate his squad by choice, while many of Guardiola's switches will be enforced.
Yet if any trophy is expendable for Guardiola and City, it is the FA Cup, the big challenge now to try to get De Bruyne and Walker back to fitness as quickly as possible and recover the rest of the squad for the run-in that will determine their push for the Premier League and Champions League. Guardiola outlined the potential fall-out from City's fractious encounter with Atletico in the wake of the exhausting 0-0 draw which saw them through to the last four.
"We are in big trouble,” said Guardiola. “We can't forget we played three days ago, travelled, came to Madrid, have a lot of injuries now and I don't know what will happen in the next weeks. “But today we celebrate, because it's only the third time in Manchester City's history we're in the Champions League semi-finals.”
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Reflecting on City's progress to the semi-finals, where they will return to the Spanish capital to face Real Madrid, midfielder Rodri said: “I think we've grown a lot. We need to keep on improving, because we're going to live moments like this in the next games. We need to be strong mentally together and never give up. That is the way.
“The calendar is crazy. We've had these two games against Atletico and the other day against Liverpool. You have to work 100 per cent and now we have Liverpool again this weekend. Too many difficult games at the same time, but it is what it is.
“We have to refresh our minds, recover and give our best in the next game. We expect another tough team with another way of playing, but we will think about it when we face them. Let's think about Liverpool first. It's massive for us to go through. It makes us go to the next game with confidence and that's the main thing. We need to recover, because they have been such demanding games, but I'm pretty sure on Saturday we'll give the best of us.”
