Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has admitted his side will have an ever so slight advantage against Manchester City in their Champions League quarter-final due to their lighter schedule.
Los Blancos will take on the reigning kings of Europe in the last eight, with the first leg to take place at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday 9 April before the return fixture at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday 17 April.
However, City boss Pep Guardiola revealed his frustration last week with the arrangement of the fixtures as his side have a packed Premier League schedule to contend with, while Madrid will have nine days of rest in between.
“We play Aston Villa at 20:15, then at 12:30 against Crystal Palace on Saturday – at 12:30!” Guardiola bemoaned. “Then we go to Madrid on Tuesday. Madrid has nine days to prepare, nine days.
“They play this weekend and they won’t do it again until our game. I would like to reflect and ask for one more day, because the difference is a lot.”
Following Madrid’s 2-0 win at home to Athletic Club on Sunday evening, Ancelotti was asked for his thoughts on Guardiola’s comments and ceded that his side will indeed have a ‘small advantage’.
“I see it well, they have a more complicated schedule, it is modern football,” Ancelotti said. “It is obvious that we have a small advantage, but it will not affect the match. I really liked the handling of today’s match and a little less intensity.”
Madrid have been paired with City in the knockout stages of the Champions League for a third successive season having met them in the semi-finals in each of the last two campaigns.
The winner of this tie will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, with Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona on the other side of the draw.