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Rob DawsonCorrespondent
Pep Guardiola has told his Manchester City stars they will not be granted a holiday before the make-or-break Champions League clash with Real Madrid.
City bring their Premier League campaign to a close this week with games against Watford on Tuesday and Norwich on Sunday.
It will be followed by an 11-day break before Real Madrid visit the Etihad Stadium for their Champions League round-of-16 second leg tie, but instead of giving his players a rest, Guardiola is planning a series of intense training sessions at the City Football Academy. City take a lead into the game after a 2-1 win in the Spanish capital in February.
"We'll make two weeks worth of training sessions," Guardiola said at a news conference on Monday when asked about his plans ahead of the clash with Real Madrid. "These two games [Watford and Norwich], we are going to make some changes.
"Some who played the semifinal [against Arsenal] are not going to play. We are going to play the next two games, I'll try to let them all play but we will see what happens."
City head to Vicarage Road to face a Watford side who will be led by under-23s coach Hayden Mullins after Nigel Pearson was dramatically axed on Sunday just two games before the end of the season.
City beat Watford, three points clear of the relegation places, 8-0 in September but Guardiola is not expecting a repeat.
"That was one century ago," Guardiola said. "One century ago. It's impossible to replicate this. Not even a reference.
"The manager was different, we were playing to win the Premier League, they are playing to survive. If we played Arsenal now the game would be different."
The Link LonkJuly 20, 2020 at 08:46PM
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Man City boss Guardiola: No holiday before Real Madrid clash - ESPN
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