Pep Guardiola: Manchester City boss stands by team selection against Real Madrid - 'I can't play same XI every three days'
13 March 2026, 13:19 | Updated: 13 March 2026, 14:51
Pep Guardiola has admitted he got his team selection wrong in defeat against Real Madrid in midweek, but the Manchester City boss stood by the decision to field the side that lost 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
A Federico Valverde hat-trick was enough to put Los Blancos into a commanding position in their Champions League round of 16 tie ahead of next week's trip to the Etihad.
Before that, City will have to turn their attention back to the Premier League as they take on relegation-threatened West Ham. Guardiola's side could go into the game 10 points behind league leaders Arsenal should they beat Everton in the 5.30pm kick-off.
While Guardiola made no bones about the fact that he will have to rotate his squad, he was quick to jump to the defence of his selection in the Spanish capital.
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