City can go top if they win their game in hand over their local rivals and take full advantage of dropped points for both their biggest title challengers after United and Liverpool played out a disappointing 0-0 draw earlier on Sunday.
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Pep Guardiola’s side have won their last four in the league to rise into fourth spot in the table, while Palace, who picked up a point at Arsenal on Thursday night, are currently down in 13th.
The two most successful clubs in the history of English football currently occupy the top two positions in the table, separated by only three points heading into this mouth-watering Merseyside meeting.
Foden’s clinical finish just before halftime on a wet night at the Etihad Stadium proved enough for City to claim a fourth successive league win, but it was far from comfortable.
Liverpool and United will clash for two consecutive weekends with the top two also facing off in the Premier League on Sunday.
Phil Foden also netted in the first half as 2019 winners City began their latest cup quest with a routine victory at the Etihad Stadium.
Two second half goals from John Stones and Fernandinho gave Pep Guardiola’s side victory in the match.
The victory helped Spurs to set up a clash with Manchester United or Manchester City in April’s showpiece.
Pep Guardiola’s men had scored more than twice in a league game just once since their opening match of the season, but were 3-0 up by half-time thanks to goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne.
“Both personnel will now observe a period of self-isolation in accordance with Premier League and UK Government protocols on quarantine,” Manchester City said in a statement.
The 49-year-old Spaniard’s current five-year stay at City is his longest spell in charge of a club since he began his managerial career in 2008.
Both teams have accrued 26 points heading into their first match of the New Year, although the visitors do have two games in hand and have enjoyed a far better spell of form than their weekend opponents.
However, it was announced yesterday that the fixture had been postponed due to a number of positive coronavirus cases at the visitors.
A number of games across divisions have been postponed in recent weeks due to COVID-19 outbreaks in clubs across the country, including those in the English Premier League
Both Manchester clubs did not play on the opening weekend in September due to their participation in the knockout stages of last season’s European club competitions.
Cavani pleaded guilty to the charge from the FA of using insulting and/or improper words.
The match, cast into question when COVID-19 forced City to close facilities and postpone Monday’s game at Everton, is set to go ahead after the visitors returned to training on Wednesday.
The news comes after Kyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus and two City staff members returned positive tests, missing the Boxing Day win over Newcastle.
The victory lifted City to fifth in the English Premier League on Saturday
While Newcastle are off to their best start to a top-flight season since 2014-15, sitting 12th with 18 points from 13 games, Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat by Championship club Brentford in the League Cup sparked a furious reaction, with some fans calling for Bruce to be sacked.