The 21st round of the 2025/26 Premier League season will feature a key match between Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion. Pep Guardiola stated that while the players will undoubtedly feel fatigued from the busy schedule, their unwavering fighting spirit and determination will be invaluable in the game.

Manchester City currently sits in second place in the league table with 42 points, six points behind league leaders Arsenal. In their last match, Manchester City conceded a late goal in the second half after Reindes scored, ultimately drawing 1-1 with Chelsea.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said at a press conference, "We had to perform like this; the team's fighting spirit was there. I have no doubt that we have a strong heart, I firmly believe that. In the game against Chelsea, the players were indeed very tired in the first 10 to 15 minutes, but even so, we still showed incredible effort and formation in pressing, and the opponents only crossed the halfway line once in the first half."

"It's remarkable that Chelsea struggled to get the ball into our box after just 48 hours of playing a tough game, and we always manage to see the positive side. We used to have a good depth on our bench and could rotate players, but we haven't been able to do that for a long time now. Injuries have happened, and we have to accept the situation."

Guardiola pointed out, "If you feel tired, it's more of a mental thing. As long as you're on the pitch, you can do it. We also have youth players, and that's what makes them exist. Sometimes I regret not giving them more playing time, but young players never disappoint. They don't need permission; their minds are very pure."

“I have no complaints about my players; they are all top-class. The situation is completely different compared to last season. For example, after playing Sunderland away, we didn’t get home until 2:30 in the morning. Those kinds of games are extremely exhausting. We played very well in the second half but failed to score. Then, less than three days later, we had to play Chelsea, and some players couldn’t even maintain their rhythm.”

In addition, Guardiola said, "We had to make substitutions and couldn't control possession of the ball, which sometimes happens. We didn't have any particularly clear scoring opportunities, but we did have 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 situations. If we had made better passes at crucial moments, we could have faced the goalkeeper directly."

“Players need to keep their legs and minds clear to make the right decisions, and we didn’t do that in that game. But we really gave it our all, and I know how good we were. It’s just that we have to keep going in this rhythm of playing a game every few days. It will be very difficult, but as long as we are in the right mindset, we can keep going.”