‘I gave up a long time ago’ - Guardiola displeased with congested fixtures, claims Carabao Cup is valued over UCL

The City boss expressed his frustration over his team's FA Cup fifth-round match against Newcastle United, scheduled for Saturday nighat, which leaves them with limited recovery time before a crucial Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday.

The fixture pile-up arrives at a pivotal moment for Manchester City, who are still competing on four fronts. 

The Catalan manager believes the governing bodies in England fail to provide the same level of support to their Champions League representatives as their counterparts in Spain and France.

Despite his esteemed status in world football, Guardiola confessed he has given up on trying to influence the decision-makers. 

"Here, it is more important what happened in the Carabao Cup than the Champions League games for the English teams," he stated in a pre-match press conference. "It happened since day one. So it's no surprise."

He further explained his sense of resignation, saying, "I gave up a long time ago. When we won the treble, it was completely the same. 

“So I'm not going to call... I don't ask for anything and if we play at 8 p.m., we're playing at 8 p.m. The disadvantage is the recovery for Madrid is less."

Despite his grievances with the schedule, Guardiola affirmed his dedication to the FA Cup. He pointed to City's consistent deep runs in the competition—reaching the semi-finals in eight of his nine seasons—as proof of their professional commitment, even when facing a challenging calendar.

"How many semi-finals? A lot, that means always FA Cup is so important," Guardiola said. "We are going to travel to Newcastle to win and get to the next round. That's definitely 100%."