Manchester City have finished the ninth week of the premier league on first place after a 1-0 victory over Southampton, now they shift focus to the Carabao Cup as they prepare for a fixture against Tottenham.
Manchester City have ended their ninth week in the premier league with a 1-0 win over Southampton thanks to a goal from Erling Haaland in just the fifth minute. And due to a 2-2 draw for Liverpool against Arsenal, City are top of the premier league table with 23 points, one ahead of the Reds.
Now, City will change their attention to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup and they have a tough job ahead of them as they take on Spurs.
The Cityzens' journey in the League Cup was cut short last season, as they were defeated by Newcastle United in the third round but the elimination wasn't taken with too much disappointment at the time as the citizens were still in contention for three other trophies.
And it looks as if the nonchalant mindset is also in play this time around, as Pep Guardiola's words suggest that the League Cup won't take up too much thinking time for him.
Pep Guardiola ahead of the game
"We talked about that, "when stating he will prioritise the premier league and champions league fixtures, "we have to take care of ourselves, go to sleep, drinks, good food, sleep a lot, training, recovery. I would love to have everyone, it's not the position we're in, we are few people and we're going to do what we have to do."
"I'm going to think about Spurs, maybe some players from the academy. We will see. Of course, we will go there to compete but the main target is Bournemouth, sporting and Brighton before the international break, this is the focus."
"We will take a decision and if the players are fine we will play them against Spurs but if there are any doubts I'm not going to take a risk against Spurs, that's for sure."
The words shared by the city boss does imply that the Carabao Cup does place last on his list of priorities and while the winning attitude is always vital, it's understandable that Pep will see more importance in the Premier League, Champions League and the fa cup; hence why he doesn't and probably shouldn't risk any key names in wednesday game, especially with the squad already having crucial players, like Rodri, already unavailable and threatening how the end of City's season will go.
Man City Square prediction
Tottenham 1-2 Manchester City