Man City fixture changes as Pep Guardiola dealt FA Cup and Premier League conundrum
Manchester City's FA Cup trip to Leyton Orient and Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur in February have been chosen for TV coverage. Pep Guardiola's side are facing another hectic month and could have up to SEVEN fixtures depending on their progress in the Champions League.
City travel to Arsenal on the opening weekend of February before preparing to make another journey to London, this time to League One side Leyton Orient in the FA Cup. City last made the trip to Orient in May 1996 - a 2-2 draw in division two. They boast an impressive record against Orient, winning 12 of their 16 meetings.
And now, the kick-off time and date for City's game against Orient has been confirmed. Pep Guardiola's side will face The O's on Saturday, February 8 at 12:15pm, set to be broadcast live on BBC One and iPlayer. It's one of nine fourth round ties shown live, with Manchester United's clash with Leicester on Friday, February 7 another.
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After City's visit to the Gaughan Group Stadium, they host Newcastle and Liverpool in the Premier League before a difficult-looking trip to Tottenham. And the clash with Ange Postecoglou's side has been pencilled in for TNT Sports coverage, with the game set to take place on Wednesday, February 26 at 7:30pm.
Before this, City have some important fixtures to end this month. They face Ipswich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Club Brugge within the next two weeks - matches that could define their season. City have won three of their last four matches across all competitions following a difficult patch of form.
And heading into their next game, City were dealt some positive news. They confirmed that Erling Haaland had signed a new bumper nine-year extension to his contract until the summer of 2034. Reacting to that news, Guardiola said: "Have you ever seen a player sign a ten year contract?
"He comes from Norway - maybe the weather here is better. He settled perfectly, he loves the club, the people he's around. loves the Premier League, loves here, with his wife and father. No better place to be in the next ten years. So he and his family decide to stay.
"He is a special player, to find a player like Erling it's so difficult, when you have it, why not make an effort to keep him? If he continues with the numbers since he arrived, yeah [he can break the records].
It will depend on the team and him as well. It is exceptional news for the club, when one player decides to sign this kind of contract, never done before, it shows how much he wants to be here.
"Otherwise the agents say 'sign one or two years in ten years many things can happen.' It's proof of confidence in the club. I don't have a feeling he's the guy with this contract he will [lower his level].
"He loves to play, a huge competitor. In the good and bad moments, get rid [of the memory] early, forget what happened and think in the next."