Manchester City are furious with the Premier League for the way they have scheduled fixtures around Christmas.

The Champions know they will always have a busy schedule around those weeks.

But they are set to play two games in less than 48 hours against Watford and Sheffield United.

City play the day before Boxing Day at 7:45pm GMT. Then another clash takes place two days later at 6pm GMT, giving them less than 48 hours between the matches.

"We're disappointed that the schedule is so tight for the players over Christmas," City's chief operating officer Omar Berrada told the Manchester Evening News.

"Premier League games are a huge physical demand, and it's not ideal to be made to play twice in less than 48 hours because it doesn't give the players time to properly recover.

"We obviously understand that the paying rights-holding broadcasters are an important consideration when it comes to scheduling, but we also need to make sure that we protect the players' wellbeing, the sporting integrity of the league, and the quality of the product.

"We've had an open dialogue with the league to consider other options, but ultimately, we will have to comply with the kick off times and dates as they have been presented to us."