In an ideal world, Pep Guardiola would be able to field two full-strength Manchester City teams in the upcoming two Premier League fixtures, knowing the Champions League game sandwiched in between has absolutely nothing riding on it.
Arsenal's draw at Southampton at the weekend has given City a chance of finishing the first part of the Premier League season top of the league, with the Blues facing Leicester, Fulham and Brentford, and the Gunners facing a trickier run of Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Brighton.
And with City's Champions League top spot confirmed, whereas Arsenal need at least one more result to top their Europa League group, the momentum appears to be in Manchester when it comes to ending the pre-World Cup fixtures on top.
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To do that, City have earned the right to rest and rotate in next week's Champions League clash with Sevilla at the Etihad. They can't be overtaken at the top of the group, while Sevilla are guaranteed third place and a spot in their familiar surroundings of the Europa League.
Last year, Guardiola went stronger than most expected in the dead-rubber at RB Leipzig, citing the integrity of the competition and importance of ensuring that the other places in the group were decided fairly. This season, he could field a team of under-18s in the final game and no side would move up or down in the group as a result.
So in theory, Guardiola could go as strong as possible at Leicester and then again vs Fulham, making 11 changes in the middle against Sevilla to keep that strongest XI in the best possible condition. In practice, that might not be an option.
The Sevilla game allows for fringe players and those who haven't played too much to get useful experience. Think Stefan Ortega, Julian Alvarez, Cole Palmer, Sergio Gomez and the young full-back duo of Rico Lewis and Josh Wilson-Esbrand. Ortega, Alvarez, Gomez and Palmer must be incredibly strong favourites to start, while Lewis and Wilson-Esbrand will be hopeful of a full 90 minutes themselves.
Players like Jack Grealish may also want to use the experience to get on the scoresheet, while it would have been an ideal opportunity to play Kalvin Phillips, but he may not be fit enough to play. Some youth team players who have impressed this season, like Carlos Borges, Oscar Bobb, Dire Mebude, Finley Burns and Shea Charles might be hoping for a call-up and for some, potential senior debuts.
However, unlike in previous seasons, the maths doesn't add up as City don't have 22 first-team players to field entirely different starting XIs in consecutive games. The midfield quartet of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri will have to share minutes, as will Grealish, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden on the wings. City have four centre-backs and one full-back fit at present, so game-time will have to be managed there, too.
It would be a shock to see Joao Cancelo play any part against Sevilla after playing so much recently, and likewise there is no need to play Erling Haaland with his underlying fitness and injury concerns that appear to be becoming a slight issue. If fully fit, Haaland could have been given 90 minutes at Leicester, rested completely vs Sevilla, and sent out again against Fulham.
However, the striker was withdrawn at half-time in Dortmund owing to a fever, and also a kick on the ankle. He was seen limping on Wednesday into tests to determine the extent of his ankle problem, although it is a positive sign that he left the facility without any strapping, protective boot or crutches.
Even with the opportunity to rest him against Sevilla, is it worth rushing him back for the Saturday lunchtime kick-off, or can Julian Alvarez be trusted to lead the line for three consecutive games? If he plays no part against Leicester or Sevilla, and isn't going to the World Cup, is that a wasted opportunity ahead of his six-week rest period coming up?
It's a setback that complicates an ideal plan to get the most out of the Sevilla free-hit, and Guardiola will give an update on Haaland's fitness on Friday.
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