Adrian Durham defends Man City’s over 20,000 empty seats at Etihad

Manchester City’s attendance of 40,042 for their 5-1 Champions League victory over AEK Athens is not a major concern, according to talkSPORT journalist Adrian Durham. More than 20,000 seats were empty at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, despite Phil Foden scoring a hat-trick to help Enzo Maresca’s side secure a convincing win.

The stadium’s capacity increased to 61,038 following its latest expansion, making the attendance a talking point among rival supporters. However, Durham defended the turnout, citing the demands of midweek European fixtures and City’s comparatively limited international fanbase.

Speaking on talkSPORT’s Breakfast show on Wednesday, he said: “It’s not a bad crowd midweek. I don’t think that’s too bad at all. “I think sometimes, like with Wembley for example, when a stadium isn’t completely full, we tend to think there’s a big problem, but actually 40,000 on a midweek, when Man City in a normal season have a lot of games to play. There will be a lot of travelling to do.”

Durham also suggested that some supporters’ dissatisfaction with UEFA and the Premier League could contribute to the reduced attendance.City’s attendance was the second-lowest among Tuesday’s nine Champions League fixtures, with Napoli’s 4-3 victory over Bodo/Glimt attracting 35,086 spectators.