Pep Lijnders to manage Manchester City vs Liverpool as Pep Guardiola 'to go on holiday'
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Liverpool Echo IconSportFootballPep LijndersFormer Liverpool assistant boss Pep Lijnders will take charge of Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final against the Reds, with Pep Guardiola bannedPep Lijnders will take charge of Manchester City in next month's FA Cup quarter-final against his former club Liverpool as Pep Guardiola serves a touchline ban.Former Reds assistant Lijnders - who worked alongside Jurgen Klopp in two spells at Anfield and helped lead the Reds to Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and two League Cup successes - made the controversial move to join City as Guardiola's assistant last summer after his time in charge of Red Bull Salzburg was cut short when he was sacked in December 2024.The Dutchman has quickly become a trusted member of Guardiola's backroom staff, and will now step into the manager's shoes against his former club when they meet in the FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium on the weekend of April 4.Guardiola was booked for the sixth time this season in City's 3-1 win at Newcastle in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday night, and will now serve a two-match touchline ban.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageThe City boss furiously confronted fourth official Lewis Smith after Kieran Trippier had fouled Jeremy Doku at St James' Park.New rules introduced for this season mean that Premier League managers are suspended for one match when they receive three yellow cards, with six bookings ensuring a two-game ban.The ban is only in place for Premier League and FA Cup matches though, meaning that Guardiola will be absent from the touchline for this weekend's visit to West Ham and the cup tie with Liverpool, but will be in the dugout for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal on March 22.
He will also be in place for both legs of the Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid.Speaking after the Newcastle booking, Guardiola said: "I will tell you something - we have all the records in this country, all of them, despite everything."We have the record of the manager with the most yellow cards. I want all records and now I have it, two-game ban now and I will go on holidays the next two games."There are things after 10 years I cannot understand.
Of course I'm going to defend Doku and all my teams."Lijnders played down the controversy around his move to City prior to his first return to Anfield in the Premier League fixture last month, adding that Klopp had encouraged him to take the job.“When I spoke with Jurgen he was so clear, ‘If you don’t do it, I will take the assistant job’,” Lijnders told BBC Sport.“You cannot put away 10 years of Liverpool that easily, but I’m really proud to come to a club of this magnitude, so successful over the last 10 years and with a manager that defined football.”Choose Liverpool Echo as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Manchester City FCLiverpool FCPep Lijnders