Pep Guardiola Set to Rest Key Stars vs. Man United, Prioritize UCL vs. Liverpool
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is set to field a weakened XI against Manchester United this weekend, with the crunch Champions League quarterfinal with Liverpool the top priority.
City have the chance to sew up the Premier League title against their bitter rivals at the Etihad Stadium with a win - which would be the earliest clinch in the competition's history.
Citizens fans are excited to see the possibility of winning the league by beating United, but with a massive game in Europe against Liverpool on the horizon, Guardiola may be thinking about playing some of his fringe stars, with the former Barcelona and Bayern coach wary of the Reds' various threats.
City have an unassailable lead at the top of the league (16 points with seven games left to play to be exact), meaning they can afford to drop points against United and just claim the title another day, and have a fully rested crop of players to take on the Reds in the second leg of the quarter-final.
Speaking after his side's comfortable 3-1 win over Everton at the weekend, Guardiola said: "Of course I want to win against United at home but we have three days before we have Liverpool, after we have three days before United and after we have three days before the second leg so few recovery days.
"You have to use all the squad but that doesn’t mean the guys who play are not going to prepare to win. If we are in the position we are now in the Premier League it is because everyone has made his own contribution. That is going to happen. But I am sorry, as a manager, now Liverpool will occupy all my head."
