Pep Guardiola says Manchester City will not “waste energy” on the Carabao Cup this season as he prioritises the Premier League and Champions League.
City booked their place in the fourth round of the competition on Tuesday night as a much-changed XI beat Watford 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
The cup clash was City’s third game of a five-match run in the space of 13 days, with an expanded Champions League format adding to an already packed schedule for the Citizens.
Guardiola has won four League Cups during his time with the club but says the competition will be low down his list of priorities this term, declaring he will field another second-string side against whoever they face in the next round.
“The next round, I announce you, I play the second team,” said Guardiola. “We are not going to waste energy, for sure.”
Goals from Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes were enough to overcome the Championship Hornets, with Tom Ince’s stunner halving the deficit late on.
FULL-TIME | Into the next round of the @Carabao_Cup 💪
🩵 2-1 🐝 #ManCity | @okx pic.twitter.com/ecXNtgaai8
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 24, 2024
Guardiola rejected the notion that fielding his secondary stars is in any way throwing the competition, insisting the packed schedule – which saw them face Arsenal in the Premier League just two days earlier – means he has to rotate.
“We play to go through. We never throw a competition. Never,” added Guardiola.
“But we played 50 hours ago. I’m not going to [take] a risk with the Premier League and the Champions League in this competition.”
City face Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime before travelling to Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League the following Tuesday.
