Pep Guardiola looks forward to “perfect” international break but PRAYS for his Man City stars

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will be praying for his first-team stars to return to club fully-fit after the international break.

The reigning Premier League champions closed off another portion of club duties this week by booking their place in the Emirates FA Cup semi-finals courtesy of a 6-0 win over Vincent Kompany’s Burnley upon his return to the Etihad Stadium.

That victory means Manchester City will now face Sheffield United in a showpiece Wembley Stadium semi-final next month, while on-loan stars Tommy Doyle and James McAtee will be ineligible for the clash due to competition rules.

Before City return to action on April 1st, with a high-profile Premier League clash against rivals Liverpool however, as many as 20 of their first-team players will be jetting off to represent their nation’s on international duty across the next two weeks.

Manchester City City boss Pep Guardiola was asked following the weekend’s victory, and after an impressive run of form in recent weeks, whether he feels that the upcoming international break is something he, his players, and the club as a whole could do without.

The Catalan coach disagreed however, admitting that for him perfectly, it is a ‘perfect’ scenario.

“It is what it is,” Pep Guardiola admitted while speaking after Manchester City’s 6-0 win over Burnley on Saturday afternoon. He continued, “For me, it’s perfect! I’ll go to Barcelona, Abu Dhabi – so it’s perfect.”

While the circumstances may be a welcome boost to Pep Guardiola across the course of the coming days, the City boss is of course concerned about the fitness of his first-team stars, admitting that they are in his prayers over the course of the next two weeks.

“We’ll pray for them to come back with no injuries, please,” Guardiola admitted. “I said to the players, ‘Come back fit. You know exactly what you need. Here (at Manchester City) you work every day with our incredible backroom staff. What you need to be fit, you have to do it with the national teams’.”

Pep Guardiola continued, “Hopefully the managers and everyone takes care of the players as best as possible.”

You can check out the full list of Manchester City players selected for international duty below: