Mаncһeѕter Cіtу cһаnge Cһамріonѕ Leаgᴜe рlаnѕ аһeаd of маtcһ on “dаngeroᴜѕ” рlауіng ѕᴜrfаce

Pep Guardiola and his players changed their Champions League plans this week ahead of the encounter with BSC Young Boys at Wankdorf Stadium.

Manchester City will travel to Switzerland hoping to make it three wins from their first three matches in this season’s Champions League group stage, following wins against Red Star and RB Leipzig on the first and second days respectively.

City began their fixture list after the October international break by returning to winning ways after a difficult end to the latter part of the game, seeing off Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.

However, while the UEFA Champions League fixtures are usually a formality, it has been reported that Manchester City’s fixtures have undergone significant changes due to concerns over the surface of the players ahead of them on Wednesday night.

According to information from Simon Bajkowski for Manchester Evening News, Manchester City have revised their preparations for the UEFA Champions League to try and get used to playing on artificial pitches.

It has been clarified that Pep Guardiola and his Man City players will train on Tuesday evening at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Switzerland, instead of training in Manchester in the morning.

The MEN reports that the aim is to get used to the artificial turf they will play on against BSC Young Boys on Wednesday night, as the reigning European champions will not be used to it.

Man City’s opponent, Manchester United, also had to go through difficulties at Wankdorf Stadium when they suffered a somewhat unexpected 1-2 defeat to the Swiss club in the 2021 Champions League group stage.

Hau Old Trafford left-back Luke Shaw is one of them. Players spoke out about the dangers of Bern’s playing surface, calling the artificial pitch “dangerous” and a level not allowed in Europe’s top leagues.

“No excuses, we lost the game tonight, you can’t blame the pitch,” Shaw exclaimed two years ago. “But for Champions League, these pitches, they shouldn’t be possible. It’s dangerous. It’s hard to turn on. But like I said, it’s no excuse.”

Pep Guardiola is likely to be quizzed on BSC Young Boys’ playing surface on Tuesday afternoon when he faces the media from Switzerland, whilst also offering an insight into Manchester City’s fitness ahead of the contest.