Pep Guardiola bemoans Man City fixture schedule and responds to Rodri's plea for a rest

Pep Guardiola thinks Manchester City's fixture pile-up is the worst it has ever been, just days after his star midfielder Rodri conceded he needs a rest.

The holders of the Premier League know that if they progress past Real Madrid into the semi-finals of the Champions League next week, City will not have a midweek free until the end of the season. Their next outing comes in the form of a league clash at home against relegation-threatened Luton Town.

Rodri admitted earlier on this week that he could do with sitting a game out, given he is one of the mainstays of this City side. Guardiola revealed he is undecided whether he'll let the Spaniard watch the game on Saturday from the sidelines or not.

Pressed for comment on the fixture list, Guardiola told reporters: "Absolutely (it’s worse). Completely right. It’s getting worse and worse and worse.

"I didn't speak with Rodri but if he needs a rest he will have rest. Or no. I don’t know. I have the feeling that the games when he was tired like against Crystal Palace and Madrid, he was better in the second half.

"He runs more and was more precise in the second half than the first," the City boss added. "More than the physicality, it is a case of expending mental energy. Playing every three days, three days. Of course he's tired, playing a lot of minutes. Rodri is so important for us and we’ll decide tomorrow what we have to do."

Guardiola did go on to stress that if Rodri really feels like his body can't handle another game, he won't hesitate to drop him and opt for an alternative midfielder. The City boss mentioned how he'd like to rest his central defenders as well, but cited injuries sustained during the recent international break as a reason why he can't.

Tuesday night's 3-3 draw