Real Madrid fail to move Champions League semi-final against Manchester City

Real Madrid are unhappy with the scheduling of the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City. Once it had been confirmed that Pep Guardiola’s side and Inter - who will face city rivals Milan - would complete the line-up for the final four, UEFA and their president Aleksander Ceferin announced which of the two ties would kick off the penultimate round of the competition, which will end in Istanbul on 10 June. And Los Blancos’ worst fears were played out as it was revealed that Madrid vs City would be up first, with the first leg taking place on Tuesday 9 May at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.

71 hours between Copa del Rey final and Champions League semi-final

Madrid’s annoyance with UEFA’s decision stems from the fact that they will play in the Copa del Rey final three days earlier, with only 71 hours between kick-off in the two matches. After losing out in the final of the Spanish Super Cup to Barcelona in Riyadh, the cup clash against Osasuna represents an opportunity for them to win their first domestic trophy of the season, which they will hope to follow up with another Champions League triumph.

There are a number of (fairly obvious) reasons for Los Merengues’ unhappiness: the logistics of travelling to and from Seville, the physical and mental toll of playing a cup final and the lack of preparation time for one of the biggest games of the season, which comes hot on the heels of another. Defeating Manchester City to reach another Champions League final would be the ultimate prize, but if Madrid are going to win the competition for the 15th time and the second season in a row (no other club has won the tournament back-to-back since it was rebranded in 1992), they’re going to have to do it the hard way.

Real Madrid’s pleas rejected by UEFA

Real Madrid’s did try to put the match back to Wednesday 10 May, giving them an additional day to rest and prepare, but their request was rejected by UEFA. An extra 24 hours to gear up for the clash against Pep Guardiola’s side could have made all the difference, especially given Osasuna’s physical style of play. And this is far from the first time that Los Blancos have been unhappy with fixture congestion, with boss Carlo Ancelotti complaining about his team having too many matches bunched together as recently as February.

Real Madrid and Manchester City’s fixtures before the Champions League semifinals