Pep Guardiola joked he will prepare to play in midfield for Manchester City, with Jurgen Klopp opposite him in defence for Liverpool, when the two sides face each other next month.
City progressed in the Carabao Cup this week to set up a fourth-round tie with rivals Liverpool, with the fixture to take place in the week directly after the World Cup final taking place on Sunday December 18. With no room for the fixture to be rearranged, the EFL have made clear the fourth round won't be moved, regardless of whether teams like City and Liverpool have a full squad or not.
Guardiola is unhappy with the scheduling, but has accepted that there is nothing that can be done, joking that he and Klopp may be needed to make up the numbers at the Etihad in the next round.
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"When they come back, It depends how they finish the World Cup," Guardiola said. "We are going to see how many players we have and the condition. Then we will decide. It depends how they finish the time with the national teams.
"He's [Klopp] going to play at left-back, I'm going to play holding midfielder. This is the strategy. I don't know how many players we or Liverpool have."
And Guardiola opened up on City's plans for during the World Cup, as well as for the Liverpool tie and the following Premier League trip to Leeds on December 28.
"Riyad [Mahrez] unfortunately doesn't go, Erling [Haaland], Sergio [Gomez], Rico [Lewis]. The rest go to the World Cup. If they go qualify and through the group stage, last 16, quarter-finals, it depends on that, then they have days off. Players for their own selections don't go through from the group stages, they will be able to play against Liverpool and Leeds.
"If they arrive at the latter stages, we will see which condition they come back. After the World Cup, we're here to train. Liverpool game, 'How many players we have? These ones, okay', we are going to play.
"We will know when we take breakfast together, we see who we have. Now we have players training with the second team together. When we come back from Abu Dhabi, we stay here with the second team, train with them. Players come back, next game Liverpool, Leeds, day by day. I don't know which condition, how many players. Most teams have lots of players in the national teams."
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