Pep Guardiola details added advantage Manchester City have over Leeds United and Liverpool ahead of return to domestic action

City host holders Liverpool in the League Cup on Thursday as they make a competitive return to action before heading to Elland Road on Wednesday evening for the first their Premier League fixture since early November.

The reigning Premier League champions had 16 players at the World Cup in Qatar with fitness levels in the squad at differing levels.

Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne played in a friendly against Girona last week following early exits for Belgium and Spain but Rodri, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji have only returned to training in recent days.

Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez, Sergio Gomez and Cole Palmer were not involved in the tournament. Leeds had just three players in Qatar as Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams represented the USA as Rasmus Kristensen was at the tournament with Denmark.

Adams will be suspended for the meeting against Man City after being sent off against Tottenham Hotspur last month. Guardiola feels players who played in Qatar will have maintained a better rhythm than those coming back from a long lay-off from competitive action.

“Step by step people come back. We are happy they are back, in general they played really well,” said Guardiola as his side prepare for their games against Liverpool and Leeds.

“I have a feeling that the players in the World Cup are in a better condition than the players who were here. Sergio, Erling, Riyad, Cole, they missed a little bit.”

Guardiola also feels it is key his players who have not played a competitive game for almost six weeks get back into the swing of things swiftly against Liverpool, as they have one eye on their Premier League clash at Elland Road: “It is important for players not at the World Cup to regain the rhythm.”

City striker Julian Alvarez won the World Cup with Argentina and it is unclear if he will return to England in time to feature against Leeds.

Guardiola said: “For Julian, we are delighted. He played a lot and his contribution was amazing for the team, for the way they played. We have a world champion in our team.

“We are incredibly happy for him. Congratulations to him, for Nico Otamendi and, of course, personally for Leo Messi, for Argentina as a country, well deserved champions.”