'Stay away' - Pep Guardiola sends message to Man City players after Liverpool win

Pep Guardiola has told his Manchester City players to switch off and enjoy the rest at the start of this week, before returning for what he hopes will be a demanding nine weeks.

City have no midweek game between the 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime and next weekend's trip to Southampton, so Guardiola has given his squad three days off after their display against Jurgen Klopp's side.

The players will reconvene on Wednesday and they will do so knowing their final days of rest before the end of the season are likely to be behind them. It's a quiet week, but that doesn't stop it being a big week.

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"They need to rest," Guardiola said of the time off he has granted his squad. "I was on holiday in my hometown in Catalonia [during the international break] but they were in national team and after that if you continue Champions League or FA Cup you have a lot of games, so stay away and then three days to prepare Southampton, Bayern Munich, Leicester, Sheffield United, Arsenal."

That Guardiola could reel off City's next six opponents showed how big a month April is. But then it's always a big month for the Blues. Whisper it quietly, but they are still in contention for a treble this season, although the talk of such lofty feats has been low-key so far, which is just how Guardiola likes it.

They face Bayern Munich at the Etihad a week on Tuesday, a two-legged task that has become more daunting given the arrival of Thomas Tuchel, City's bete-noire, at the Allianz Arena. His first game in charge saw Bayern seize back control of the Bundesliga title race, beating Borussia Dortmund 4-2.

The return leg in Munich is just three days before the FA Cup