Manchester City have accused the Premier League of threatening the “sporting integrity” of the competition after condemning a Christmas fixture list they fear could give a helping hand to Liverpool.

City and Liverpool are widely expected to contest another fierce battle for the championship. They are due to meet at Anfield next month before a hectic run of games over the festive period, when Liverpool must also play Club World Cup matches in Qatar on Dec 18 and 21.

But City have reacted furiously to a fixture change that they believe will handicap them in their quest for a third successive title and potentially boost Liverpool’s prospects in the process.

The champions’ match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux has been pushed back a day from Boxing Day, with a 7.45pm kick-off. That will give Pep Guardiola and his players less than 48 hours to prepare for their game at home to Sheffield United, which has now been scheduled to kick off at 6pm on Dec 29.

The situation, which involves a tighter turnaround than almost every other top-flight club, has been compounded by the fact it will also leave Wolves with less time to prepare for their trip to Anfield.