Today, all eyes turn to the FA Cup, with the Blues playing Burnley at the Etihad Stadium in the fourth round.
And there’s plenty of pre-match talk in this morning’s papers.
The Manchester Evening News’ Simon Bajkowski says he expects a strong City lineup this afternoon.
“The way Guardiola spoke ahead of this game suggested City will be considerably stronger than Burton as the manager hunts down the only major piece of silverware in English football he is yet to win,” he writes.
“De Bruyne did fine in the holding role at Burton but you’d expect to see him back in his preferred position as he builds his form back up - even if he is hooked before 90 minutes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Fernandinho back with Ilkay Gundogan completing the middle of the park.
“Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus should start, and it’s a toss of a coin over Raheem Sterling or Leroy Sane. At the back, Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones can come into the team with Fabian Delph on the left and Kyle Walker on the right.”
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Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson predicts a big City win, with the former Arsenal forward is expecting a 3-0 victory for City.
“Sean Dyche will not just come here and lie down, but in truth, Burnley could just do with getting this game out of the way,” he writes
“I am not sure City should be favourites for the trophy, though. I like them in the EFL Cup as their second string are better than other back-up players, but teams are likely to go stronger in this competition. Plus, Pep Guardiola will prioritise the Champions League. They will win this one, though.
“PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0.”
And, finally, the Manchester Evening News believe the February fixture changes announced on Friday hand City the initiative in the title race.
“After the TV picks were announced for March, City will play BEFORE Liverpool in all four gameweeks throughout the month,” they write.
“That means City have the chance to put pressure on their title rivals each time they play in March.
“Since beating Liverpool earlier this month, City have had to follow Liverpool, but that pattern will change as they approach the business part of the season.”
That’s all for this morning’s Media Watch. Stay with us throughout the day as we bring you coverage of today’s FA Cup fourth-round game with Burnley.
And don’t forget, you can enjoy live minute-by-minute updates of today’s game with our Matchday Centre.
