Pep Guardiola has given Manchester City players the day off before they face Real Madrid in the Champions League, Manchester Evening News reports.
The Blues need to recover a 3-0 deficit from the first leg of their last-16 tie to stay in the competition and Guardiola has decided not to include training in their schedule for the day before the game.
The Blues returned from Madrid last week and then travelled down to London for a game at West Ham on Saturday evening in the Premier League.
They drew 1-1 on a day when leaders Arsenal won to leave them further behind in the Premier League title race.
City went through a recovery session back in Manchester on Sunday following the West Ham game, and Guardiola has decided that the best preparation for the Real game is to allow the players to have Monday off.
They will then come in on Tuesday to go through their final rehearsals for what could be their last Champions League game of the campaign.
While the decision is unusual, it is not unprecedented. City did the same thing back in November when their Champions League game against Dortmund came three days after a home game with Bournemouth.
“We will train tomorrow morning. I’ve done it a few times – maybe not a lot but a few times,” Guardiola said at the time. “Bournemouth was so demanding that I prefer they stay at home and tomorrow morning we train. No-one is going to change the schedule because we have a lot of competitions so it is what it is.”
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As part of the conditions for not holding training on Monday, the Manchester Evening News understands that City will send 15 minutes of footage from Sunday’s session to UEFA that can be used by broadcasters.
The Blues will then put all their efforts in on Tuesday looking for fresh mind and bodies to give themselves the best chance of beating Real.
Following the Real game, City will then prepare for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal as the first trophy of the season is decided at Wembley.
That will be the last game before the March international break, with City returning to action on Saturday April 4 in their FA Cup quarter-final with Liverpool.
