Pep Guardiola is hoping the Eurovision Song Contest does not wreck Manchester City's historic Treble bid.
City go to Everton in the Premier League on Sunday, while Champions League rivals Real Madrid play Saturday – giving them an extra day to recover for next week's semi-final second leg.
Merseyside Police were unwilling to put City's trip to Goodison Park back to Saturday, because it would have clashed with the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. As such, City have 24 hours less preparation time than Madrid for Wednesday's decider at the Etihad, with the tie poised at 1-1 after the first leg at the Bernabeu.
“I don't want to be distracted for Madrid, because I won’t have time,” said Guardiola. “Well, not much, because we play on Sunday - thank-you so much.
“I don't understand it, but I don't want to fight for that any more. We have to adapt to it, so it doesn't matter.
“We can't play on Saturday, because of the Eurovision in Liverpool, and we don’t have too many police to handle two important events at the same time.
“So okay, we have to adapt. What can I do? We'd prefer to play Saturday so we can prepare more, definitely. But it is what it is. I don't fight anymore over the schedules – UEFA or the Premier League.
“The Premier League is more important, the schedule is the schedule. Since day one I felt it - and it's not going to change. In a positive way, we have one more day to recover for the Everton game.
“So we prepare this way - one less day for Madrid, but one more for the Premier League and that's good.”
City's packed schedule for the remainder of the season sees them play a minimum of six matches in the next three weeks including the FA Cup final against Manchester United on June 3. Guardiola added: “We will see (about the condition of the players). We have five days now after just four days. We will see the team tomorrow, speak with the physios and staff and decide. A lot of games to choose, not to choose - maybe people don't believe me but I rely on all of them a lot but there are players in certain moments that are so important to us.
“People ask me before Leeds (if) they are tired and the game after was so demanding, when you play so many competitions it's normal. When you play just one it's different but now it is what it is.
“Definitely but not just now all the season. They want to play in September, they don't like me when they don't play. We are going to play until June 3, you have to deserve to win a game to play for one more week. We have potential six games, potential seven, it's not too much, go for it!”
