Losing a Premier League match is never ideal, especially when you then have six weeks before you can respond.
That is exactly the situation Manchester City find themselves in unfortunately following their 2-1 loss to Brentford. City's 14th match of the Premier League season was their final outing before the start of the World Cup. The staging of the tournament in Qatar in winter means that elite club football has ground to a halt for six weeks while the best players in the world battle it out to win the ultimate prize.
While the tournament promises to be an exciting spectacle with City players front and centre - 16 members of Pep Guardiola's squad will be taking part - there is no real substitute for regular club football.
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That begs the question: when is City's next game after the World Cup? Only in the last few days has that become clear due to television scheduling, but the fixtures have now been confirmed.
City's next match after the World Cup will be a Carabao Cup fourth round tie against Liverpool on Thursday 22nd December, to be played at the Etihad Stadium. City drew Jurgen Klopp's side after successfully navigating a tricky third round encounter with Chelsea in November. The Blues won 2-0 on the night with goals from Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez securing the result.
However, any City fans hoping to see a full-strength City side take to the field on 22nd December might be left disappointed. The match will take place just four days after the World Cup final, so any City players who go deep into the tournament with their national teams are unlikely to feature.
City's first Premier League match after the World Cup is against Leeds United, and will take place at Elland Road on Wednesday 28th December at 8pm. City's first home league match after the World Cup is against Everton at 3pm on New Year's Eve.
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