Manchester City Not Set to Rest Players for Carabao Cup, Says Pep Guardiola

Manchester City aren't set to rest players for Tuesday's Carabao Cup clash with Leicester City despite being behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race, says manager Pep Guardiola.

City will have to face a two-legged semi-final in the Carabao Cup in January if they beat Leicester, while Liverpool don't have a fixture to contend with in midweek having been knocked out of the competition earlier in the season by Chelsea.

Guardiola indicated he isn't going to sacrifice the competition by deploying a weakened side against the Foxes, though, when asked if Liverpool were aided by the fixture schedule.

Per the Press Association's Andy Hampson, he said:

"We could say yes, but I'd prefer to be in the Carabao Cup than not.

"I cannot imagine going into a game thinking, 'Oh, it will be better to lose because then we'll have more time to rest.' I have never thought in that way.

"We're going to prepare as always to win the game, to try to reach the semi-final and then we'd have two legs to try to reach another final.

"That is the only way a club like Manchester City—who 10 years ago were not in this position—can grow up, and get better and better. And that's what we have to do."

City won the Carabao Cup last season, though they faced much less of a challenge in the Premier League, which perhaps made the two competitions easier to juggle.

This time last year, the Sky Blues were nine points clear at the top of the table having gone unbeaten with 17 wins from 18 matches.

City have been only slightly less imperious this season, but Liverpool have emerged as strong contenders for the title:

The Reds' exit from the Carabao Cup means they only have one game remaining before Christmas—Friday's trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers—and they'll have three fewer games than City in January and February if City win on Tuesday and go on to reach the final.

The Carabao Cup is the least prestigious of the four major honours available to City this season, but having a trophy secured before the run-in can take a little pressure off.

For their immediate schedule, it comes as little surprise Guardiola might prioritise a trip to Leicester over their home match with Crystal Palace on Saturday, as they could likely afford to rotate for the latter and still come away with a comfortable victory.