Liverpool has been having topped the Champions League group stage. Arne Slot could afford to rest a number of players in midweek for the final round of fixtures, against PSV.

Manchester City, though, just scraped through and now has to play in a mammoth clash next month. The second leg of that tie will take place just a few days before men host at the Etihad Stadium.

Liverpool have an extra European rest as a result of finishing inside the top eight places in UEFA's new-look competition but may have a domestic game penciled in. Should the Reds reach the Carabao Cup final, the trip to Aston Villa will be rescheduled for Wednesday February 19.

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City has a much tougher hand though. With Guardiola's men trailing by 12 points in the Premier League, its priority now must be in Europe. To go far in the Champions League, however, it will have to knock out one of the favorites.

With a crucial fixture added in just before it plays Liverpool, that will be a distraction. It is also likely to be a match that takes plenty out of the Manchester City players' legs. Liverpool will take on either the winners of Brest vs Paris Saint-Germain or Benfica vs Monaco.

Their two-legged ties will be held on February 11/12 and February 18/19. The last-16 draw is then scheduled to be held on February 21, two days before Manchester City hosts Liverpool in the league, when the paths for the rest of the knockout stage will also be mapped out.

Liverpool continues its Premier League title push with a tricky test against Bournemouth this weekend. The Cherries are right in the mix for European places and ripped apart Nottingham Forest last weekend.

It is the first of five games in 16 days for Slot's side, who welcomes Tottenham to Anfield in the Carabao Cup second leg on Thursday. That is followed by the FA Cup game against Plymouth and the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, before the visit of Wolves on February 16.