Pep Guardiola admits he doesn’t “understand” Manchester City’s fixture scheduling, but he’s not going to fight it.

City face Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, less than 72 hours before facing Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Real will play Getafe in La Liga on Saturday, giving them an extra day of recuperation.

“It is what it is,” Guardiola stated.

“I don’t understand it,” the Spaniard continued, “but I’m not going to fight it any longer.”

“I don’t understand it, but we have to adapt.”

The journey to Merseyside on Sunday is critical at both ends of the Premier League, with City aiming to maintain their advantage over Arsenal at the top and Everton fighting to avoid relegation.

City drew 1-1 with Real Madrid in the first leg of their semi-final on Tuesday, and while a spot in the Champions League final is on the line next week, Guardiola insists the team’s attention is on facing Sean Dyche’s Toffees.

“My thought is just Everton – nothing more than that,” he remarked.

“I’ve been with the Premier League for 11 months.” We don’t have much time to prepare for Madrid because we play on Sunday – thank you – but it’s a top priority, Goodison Park.”

Following Everton, City’s final league games will be against Chelsea at home, Brighton away, and Brentford at home to finish the season.

Despite having a game in hand, Arsenal are only one point behind City at the top of the standings.

Guardiola believes Arsenal will “definitely” win their final games against Brighton, Nottingham Forest, and Wolves, but the City manager insists his club cannot rely on the results of others.

“There are four Premier League games left, and it’s really important to be there and keep our destiny in our hands,” he stated.