Man City January fixtures confirmed as changes made for TV

straight to your inboxManchester City might use their academy players for the FA Cup clash against Birmingham City in order to field stronger teams against Chelsea and Manchester United.The new year begins with a big Premier League clash against Chelsea on Sunday, before a Carabao Cup semi-final at Old Trafford and an FA Cup third round tie at home to Championship side Birmingham.With at least five City players set to be missing for the Chelsea trip due to Covid tests, Guardiola will have to

straight to your inboxFrank Lampard says Hakim Ziyech could return against Manchester City on January 3, should the game go ahead.City's most recent Premier League fixture against Everton was postponed on health grounds after a number of positive Covid tests in the Blues squad, and the Chelsea game could be in doubt if more cases emerge. However, no new positive tests were returned when the City squad were tested on Wednesday, and first-team training has resumed.

direct to your inboxManchester United and Manchester City will be handed the opportunity to strengthen their squads when the January transfer window opens in a matter of days.United will welcome Amad Diallo to the club after agreeing a deal to sign the 18-year-old on deadline day in October. Last season, Bruno Fernandes ' deal was the headline transfer activity from Manchester, although rumours about a deal for Jadon Sancho have gone quiet since the summer.

straight to your inboxManchester City's opening Premier League fixture at Aston Villa has finally been given a new date in January.City were due to open their new campaign at Villa Park, but the fixture was postponed to give the Blues more time to recover from their Champions League exploits only three weeks earlier. The postponement has given City a game in hand over most of their rivals all season, and the Premier League have finally confirmed a new date for the trip to the Midlands.

straight to your inbox every day for free Manchester United presume their Carabao Cup semi-final with Manchester City will go ahead next week unless events change. City had their Monday night Premier League match at Everton postponed because of a coronavirus outbreak in their squad but returned no new positive tests in their latest round of testing on Tuesday.

straight to your inboxManchester City's Premier League rivals will be watching anxiously as news of the Covid-19 outbreak at the club unfolds.City 's scheduled fixture against Everton at Goodison Park was postponed on Monday after more coronavirus cases were identified.

straight to your inboxFrank Lampard says Chelsea will consult the Premier League over whether their fixture with Manchester City can go ahead, as he predicted more positive Covid-19 cases in football's top flight.City's fixture at Everton was postponed after a number of positive cases at the club in addition to the four announced on Christmas Day.

straight to your inboxManchester City defender Aymeric Laporte has taken to social media to react to the postponement of Monday's match against Everton, urging everyone to continue following coranvirus rules.City were set to play their second Premier League match in just two days following Boxing Day's 2-0 victory over Newcastle United, but it was announced at the 11th hour that the game had been postponed due to further positive COVID-19 tests in the Blues' squad.

straight to your inboxWith Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi's contract expiring at the end of the season, the Argentine can open talks with interested parties in January, with Manchester City one of the clubs linked with signing the legendary forward.Ahead of January, former City defender Pablo Zabaleta is under no illusions that City would be a great club for Messi to join."Manchester City is the best place for Messi," Zabaleta told Spanish media outlet Marca.

straight to your inboxManchester City will prioritise Premier League games when considering when to rest Kevin De Bruyne. After playing 90 minutes for City against Newcastle on Boxing Day, De Bruyne may be needed once again for the trip to Everton on Monday.

straight to your inboxAfter a hectic few months, Manchester City players and staff have earned the chance to sit back and relax with their families over Christmas - but the rest won't last long as they are back in Premier League action on Boxing Day.City face Newcastle at the Etihad tomorrow evening, meaning some of Christmas Day will be taken up with preparations for the first of two fixtures in just 48 hours.

direct to your inboxThe date and kick-off details for Manchester United and Manchester City's Carabao Cup semi-final have been confirmed. The match will come after a hectic festive fixture schedule for both clubs and be played on January 6 at Old Trafford, with kick-off at 7:45pm.

direct to your inboxManchester United will host Manchester City in one of the Carabao Cup semi-finals in a repeat of last year's last-four tie. Earlier this year City won 3-2 on aggregate after the Blues won 3-1 at Old Trafford and United won the reverse fixture 1-0.

straight to your inbox every day for freeManchester United have made contact with the agent of David Alaba over a potential transfer, according to reports.United initially decided not to prioritise their defence in the previous transfer window after spending big on Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka the year prior, but that soon changed following the opening day defeat to Crystal Palace.Alex Telles was drafted in on deadline day to provide competition at left-back but the club were unable to

straight to your inboxManchester City fans want Pep Guardiola to make seven changes for their Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal.City have won the competition in each of the previous three seasons and have reached the last eight once again this time around.

straight to your inboxHarry Redknapp says the Premier League title race remains wide open despite Liverpool's dominant win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.Jurgen Klopp's side ran out 7-0 winners at Selhurst Park to put the pressure on Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola's side responded with a solid 1-0 win over Southampton.City currently sit seven points off Liverpool with a game in hand during busy festive period.Speaking on Amazon Prime, Redknapp said City are not out of the running just

straight to your inbox every day for freeFormer Manchester United captain Roy Keane has declared that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side can compete with Liverpool for the Premier League title - if they improve their home form.United have suffered league defeats at Old Trafford to Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Arsenal this term, winning just one home game before facing Leeds this afternoon.