Manchester City are set to return to Champions League action this midweek, with a new format in place.

This week, Manchester City will face Inter Milan at the Etihad Stadium as part of the revamped Champions League competition. The tournament now features a new league format, with 36 teams competing in a single table, each playing eight matches.

One of City’s key players, Rodri, has raised concerns about the increasingly congested fixture schedule and shared his views on the possibility of players going on strike. This season’s competition sees Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, and Sparta Prague visiting the Etihad, while Pep Guardiola’s side will travel to Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Sporting Lisbon, and Slovan Bratislava.

During the pre-match press conference, Rodri was asked whether players might consider striking. He replied: "Yes, I think we are close to that. If it continues like this, we will have no other choice. It’s something that concerns us."

Rodri continued: "In my experience, 40-50 matches per season is the number a player can perform at the highest level. Beyond that, performance drops because it’s impossible to maintain top form. This year, we could reach 70, maybe 80 matches. In my humble opinion, that’s far too many. Someone needs to look after us."

"When I’m well-rested, I play better, and if people want to see better football, we need time to recover."

Meanwhile, City manager Pep Guardiola took a more measured approach, stating: "We are just starting with our first match, then the second, and we’ll see what happens in the final games to progress. There’s no need to look too far ahead. We’ll take it step by step."