Manchester City return to Premier League action this weekend as they look to extend their gap at the top of the table against nearest challengers Chelsea.
The Londoners and Liverpool couldn't be separated last time out leaving the lead at the summit at 10 points.
Pep Guardiola was absent from the FA Cup win over Swindon Town as Cole Palmer shone in the comfortable third-round win.
Despite fielding a strong squad for the clash with the League One side, their preparations were hampered following a number of cases that saw 21 first-team members out.
When the two sides last met, City put on a clinique as they silenced Chelsea following their strong start to the season. With the reverse fixture now upon us, the reigning champions have emphatically extended their stronghold with many suspecting a win here will seal their crown.
On Friday, the Spaniard - who returned to take training this week and will be in the dugout on Saturday - confirmed that there had been further positive COVID cases within the squad.
He confirmed: "Some people are coming, some are positive again. When you test once, twice, negative you come back.
"Otherwise you stay at home. It happened in the last two-three months affecting all the clubs. We have some new cases, they want privacy so I can't say."
Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and Oleksandr Zinchenko were among those absent with a positive result and therefore missed the first hurdle in the FA Cup.
There has been no official confirmation as to whether they will return for the title clash with Thomas Tuchel's side, with unconfirmed reports that the recently named Premier League Player of the Month returned to training.
Both Foden and Zinchenko missed the last-gasp win over Arsenal, as Rodri scored the winning goal, but remains to be seen if they will return.
John Stones has also been absent in recent weeks with a knock, he could return to the fold.
Liam Delap is ruled out through an ankle injury but provided a boost for the Blues as he returned to training.
With the Africa Cup of Nations underway, Riyad Mahrez is absent due to his responsibilities with Algeria, their progression in the tournament will depend on his return.
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