Pep Guardiola was already wary of Manchester City's run of fixtures before he knew their opponents in the Champions League play-offs.

Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool, Tottenham and Forest all between the end of January and the beginning of March makes for five of the top six and a bogey team at a bogey ground. Add Real Madrid in before the Newcastle and Liverpool games and the City manager did not attempt to downplay how difficult it will be.

"It's tough playing against Real or Bayern and the problem is in the middle playing Newcastle. They are always so kind in the calendar for many years," he said last week.

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"The broadcasters decide. They don't ask me if it's better to play Tuesday or Wednesday. In Portugal and France they play on Friday. We played on Sunday before we went to Paris. We lost 4-2 and I didn't complain one. It's fine, it has always been like that. When I see the calendar, it is what it is."

City are used to other league associations helping their team for European competitions, yet they will actually enjoy more rest ahead of the first leg of their play-off next week. The Blues are at League One side Leyton Orient at 12.15 on Saturday while Real must host Atletico eight hours later in a top-of-the-table match.

And while a home game means they will not have far to travel, Carlo Ancelotti's side are reportedly worn down by how their games have been scheduled this season. A report by Spanish newspaper AS in December claimed that Real were tired from having all but two of their 13 away games kicking off at 9pm local time.

“We are fed up with the fact that every time we play a game away from Madrid, we don’t get home until 3am… if we’re lucky. And the next day, we have to train! If it’s already difficult to rest with so many games, imagine with these schedules,” a source told the paper.

The first leg of their Champions League play-off in Manchester will be the 17th game out of 20 away games for Real that has kicked off so late, and they will have to do it after the intensity of a local derby against Diego Simeone's Atletico. That may not be enough of an advantage for City to strike a killer blow in the tie, but it is luck that they are not used to having.