PEP GUARDIOLA has ordered his players in for Friday night training at the Etihad ahead Man City’s crunch Prem clash with Chelsea.
And Antonio Conte made a late dash for Manchester, as his Blues stars were spotted stepping off a train ahead of their top-of-the-table showdown.
Guardiola’s decision will no doubt raise eyebrows, with the players due to play on the surface at just 12.30pm the next day.
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Prem new-boy bosses Guardiola and Conte will have been scratching their heads as to how they get the better of each other at the Etihad for days.
But Ruben Loftus-Cheek was doing a whole different type of scratching – with the Blues midfielder snapped having a rummage around in his tracksuit bottoms!
Samir Nasri has revealed that Guardiola bans his stars from having sex on the day of games.
And they looked to be running out of times to squeeze in a quickie before midnight as the City boss got them all out for training hours before facing Blues.
It looked to go against Guardiola's pre-season claim that he would let City's players off the leash the night before games.
But it should come as no major surprise, given the respect he has for Conte and the importance of grabbing a win which would keep City's title charge on track and move them two points clear of Blues.
The duo have never faced each other before in management, but both been singing each other's praises during a pre-match managerial love-in.
City boss Guardiola said: "Conte is one of the best coaches in the world right now.
“It’s the first time we are going to face each other and it’s good to play against him.
“He made an exceptional job in Turin and the national job. It doesn’t matter if it is Serie A or the national team, you realise his strengths.
“He has started here with maybe not good results, but they have won the last seven games, conceding one goal. That says a lot about how good they are.
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“Chelsea were contenders to win the Premier League from the beginning. Now, maybe more than before. It’s a good test for us.
“I learned a lot in Italy about the mentality and how good they are defending the penalty box. They have no problem staying in the box for 89 minutes and using amazing counter-attack.
“When they have the ball, Chelsea play a 3-4-3 and they defend with many players behind the ball. They have conceded just one goal. They are doing well.
Guardiola did face Conte as a player during spells in Italy with Roma and Brescia, but claims the pair have only spoken once or twice.
Conte said: "I think tomorrow is a really tough game. A great test for us, our formation, to continue this way. It wont't be easy.
"I've never faced Pep. I have great respect for him because Pep likes to study football and find a solution, idea.
"Guardiola found a good situation in Man City. The directors worked with him before and he can get his ideas across quickly.
"[Pep was] a fantastic midfielder. We had different characteristic.
"I think I ran more than him but he thought more with the ball!"
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