Pep Guardiola makes it clear who is to blame for gruelling schedule before Liverpool trip

Pep Guardiola took aim at broadcasters over Manchester City 's relentless schedule following their Champions League Round of 16 triumph over FC Copenhagen.

The reigning European champions cruised through to the quarter-finals with a 6-2 win on aggregate. Goals from Manuel Akanji, Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland sealed a 3-1 win on the night for Guardiola's side, who have now reached the last eight for the seventh successive season.

City's victory over Copenhagen comes just days after they beat Manchester United in the derby at the weekend. The Premier League champions now face a mouthwatering title showdown with Liverpool on Sunday, giving them limited time to recover and prepare.

Guardiola alluded to that fact post-match when he made it clear that he was less than impressed with City's schedule. When he was asked if the seven changes to his team were made with Sunday's match at Anfield in mind, Guardiola responded: "I wanted fresh legs. If you have the info I had – we had – after the Manchester United game, you would understand the decisions of the team selection today."

He continued: It’s a lot of games, so that’s why. Normally when you play Champions League on Tuesday or Wednesday they allow you to play on Saturday, but this country does not allow you. You’re playing Sunday.

"So that’s why you have to [rotate]. If we played Saturday then today would be completely different but it was not the case. So that’s why I think the selection today was the best team, with the fresh legs, for the mind, for the desire to compete against Copenhagen."

When Guardiola was asked if he'd spoken to the Premier League over the issue, he retorted: "No, it's not the Premier League, it's the broadcasters and they all say the same answer - we