Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday that the only way he could look after his players during the 48-hour gap between matches over the festive period was to “put them in the fridge”.

Guardiola’s comments come after the Premier League revealed their list of matches – leading to claims from City officials that the programme favoured title rivals Liverpool.

The club reacted furiously to the fixtures which see Guardiola’s side having less than 48 hours between matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United – claiming it threatened the “sporting integrity” of the competition.