The first-ever winter World Cup is less than three weeks away.
For Manchester City, there are just four games across three competitions before a large clutch of their squad jets out to Qatar to represent their countries.
There are just two Premier League games in that schedule, with a final Champions League group match and an EFL Cup tie squeezed in there too. For Pep Guardiola, he will be eager for his players to end on a high before they go their separate ways.
Here, we look at the best and worst-case scenarios for City ahead of the mid-season hiatus.
Read more : Haaland concern exposes major drop-off in City squad
Best-case scenario
It goes without saying that City will want to seal wins in all four matches and the fact that all four games are at the Etihad goes hugely in their favour. They have not been beaten on home soil in any competition since February when Tottenham won in the Premier League. With only five games left at the Etihad before 2022 is out, Guardiola will be keen to preserve that record.
First up is a Champions League dead rubber against Sevilla with plenty of changes expected seeing as City will finish top regardless of the outcome. Next up is Fulham and Brentford in the Premier League, with a Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea sandwiched in-between.
Six points from the league meetings will be the order of the day and if they can do that then they will be hoping current leaders Arsenal drop points in their two league games before the break. The Gunners are currently two points clear of City but face a tough trip to Chelsea and then an away game at lowly Wolves.
A home win at Stamford Bridge would be ideal for City and the hosts will be keen to get back to winning ways in a London derby following a chastening loss at Brighton last time out. Mikel Arteta's side are likely to enter the game at Wolves as big favourites but they slipped up at Southampton earlier this month and another draw could see City enter the World Cup break three points clear at the summit.
In terms of the Chelsea game, a safe passage into the last-16 at the expense of one of their top six rivals would be a real shot in the arm in their attempts to win the competition for a fifth time in six years.
Worst-case scenario
Put simply, Arsenal winning at both Chelsea and Wolves is the worst-case scenario. That would take the Gunners onto 37 points.
Realistically City could be eight points adrift by the time the break arrives and may even slip as low as fourth should they lose to both Fulham and Brentford.
It would leave them with a proverbial mountain to climb in their bid to make it three league titles in a row.
As for the League Cup tie, it has been a competition they have dominated in recent years. Following last season's disappointing run, where they were dumped out at the last-16 stage, Guardiola will not want another early exit in what is their first game in this year's competition.
READ MORE:
