Pep Guardiola to miss City's FA Cup tie with Swindon Town due to COVID

Both are now isolating, along with a number of other positive cases within the City first team bubble.

This brings the number of those isolating for Covid related reasons amongst the group to 21. Of that number, 14 are backroom staff and seven are first-team players.

Manchester City confirmed on Thursday that coach Rodolfo Borrell will take charge of the team for the trip to Swindon.

City not alone in the COVID chaos

City are not the only team to be without their manager this weekend. Burnley announced on Thursday that Sean Dyche will miss his side's home encounter against Huddersfield Town.

He too is currently in self-isolation, with Ian Woan taking managerial duties in the third round FA Cup encounter this weekend.

Elsewhere, Liverpool will likely also be without a number of players and back room staff if their FA Cup third round match is to go ahead against Shrewsbury on Sunday.

This week, Liverpool's Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal was rescheduled after today's first leg was postponed following an application from the Merseyside club, which the EFL (English Football League) accepted.

Liverpool announced on Wednesday morning their training ground would be closed for at least 48 hours and that Jurgen Klopp's assistant, Pep Lijnders, had tested positive.

Lijnders was due to travel with the team to Lonon as Klopp himself is also isolating.

Roberto Firmino, Alisson and Joel Matip all missed Liverpool's Premier League draw with Chelsea on Sunday after testing positive for the virus and would not have been cleared to return.

"OFF THE FIELD, THINGS ARE STARTING TO LOOK UP" | CHRIS WAUGH

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