Man City boss Pep Guardiola jokes he and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will play in Carabao Cup clash days after World Cup final

Pep Guardiola has joked about playing in Manchester City’s clash against Liverpool just days after the World Cup final.

City beat Chelsea 2-0 on Wednesday night to advance to the next round of the Carabao Cup, whilst holders Liverpool were victorious against Derby County as they won 3-2 on penalties.

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The two Premier League giants have been drawn to face each other at the Etihad Stadium next month.

However, the next round of fixtures in the cup are currently scheduled to be played just days after the World Cup final in Qatar on December 20.

The timing of the clash could see both sides field weaker line-ups, especially if some of their stars reach the latter stages of the World Cup.

However, it appears as though Guardiola may have found a solution to both sides’ problem.

In his pre-Brentford press conference, the Spaniard joked: “He’s going to play at left back, I’m going to play holding midfielder.”

City currently have an abundance of players who have been selected to represent their respective countries at the World Cup, and the most out of any other Premier League side.

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The likes of Jack Grealish and Phil Foden are just two of five who will play for England, with a trio of Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva all selected for Portugal.

Liverpool on the other hand will see Alisson and Fabinho head to Qatar for Brazil, with Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold representing the Three Lions.

However, their midfield star Thiago has not been selected in the squad for Spain, which includes City’s Rodri and Aymeric Laporte.

Other fixtures in the Carabao Cup draw will see Vincent Kompany’s Burnley making the trip to Manchester United, and Newcastle boss Eddie Howe face his old side Bournemouth.

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