Manchester City are set to play Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, followed by a Carabao Cup clash against Watford just 48 hours later.
Pep Guardiola has received a boost in his preparations for this demanding schedule of two games in three days.
City will host Arsenal on Sunday, and due to a complicated situation, they are scheduled to face Watford in the Carabao Cup only 49 hours after the Arsenal match concludes. UEFA has insisted that Manchester United’s Europa League fixture at Old Trafford takes place on Wednesday, which led Greater Manchester Police to oppose both teams playing at home on the same night.
With City’s league match at Newcastle scheduled for 12:30pm the following Saturday, the club had the choice to play the Watford tie on either Tuesday, Thursday, or switch the venue to Watford. Guardiola explained last week that City opted for Tuesday to prioritize their upcoming league match at St James’ Park.
Guardiola expressed a preference for using two entirely different squads for the Arsenal and Watford games—a feasible option in theory. However, due to potential fitness concerns and injuries, he may need to call up some academy players to strengthen the squad. Nico O’Reilly, who has been promoted to the senior squad this season, could feature, as well as other youngsters who played during pre-season.
Further complicating the situation, City’s under-21 side is scheduled to play Lincoln City in the EFL Trophy on the same evening as the Watford match, in a must-win game to secure their place in the knockout stages. Although the first team will take priority, the absence of key academy players for the Trophy match would have been a significant blow.
To alleviate the pressure, City requested that the Lincoln game be postponed, a request which was granted by Lincoln and the EFL. This move helps ease the burden on the academy, allowing younger players to assist the first team if necessary. The game against Lincoln has now been rescheduled for November, although City has not specified the exact reason for the postponement.
Ben Wilkinson, the head coach of City’s under-21 team, told MEN Sport: “We’ll likely have just one day of preparation before facing Manchester United, so we’ll try to give the players an idea of what to expect. The first team has a huge match against Arsenal on Sunday, and I think everyone will reassess after that and move forward accordingly.”
