Guessing a Pep Guardiola XI is a thankless task at the best of times, but it's about to get even more difficult.
The City boss has already flagged up his plans to rotate his squad as the Blues' bid for history and a quadruple reaches fever pitch. The 2-0 win at Fulham on Saturday was the beginning of a run of nine games in 28 days for City, with Cardiff City next up in the Premier League, followed by Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Brighton.
That leads into the beginning of a run of three games against Tottenham in less than two weeks, including both legs of the Champions League quarter-final, and City's squad depth is about to be tested to the limit.
Guardiola has already given some thought to what sort of side he wants to pick in the upcoming games, but admits the fitness of players heading into each fixture is also going to play a crucial part in selection.
So as Guardiola watched Sergio Aguero hobble off at Craven Cottage on Saturday, the Catalan will already have been readjusting his plans. Guardiola will be desperate to have City's record goalscorer leading the line against Tottenham, so he will surely be wrapped in cotton wool until then.
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That could mean successive starts for Gabriel Jesus this week, including in that Wembley semi-final, but Guardiola has other options in the final third, such as playing Raheem Sterling centrally, or using Leroy Sane as a false nine, as Germany did in their recent win in Holland.
That would also allow Riyad Mahrez game time on the wing while Guardiola's desperation to keep Bernardo Silva in his starting XI has seen the Portuguese switch from a midfield position to the right wing and back.
Flexibility is a big part of Guardiola's squad building and that gives him plenty of options for rotation over the coming weeks, with Danilo capable of filling both full-back positions, while with Benjamin Mendy returning at left-back Aleks Zinchenko and Fabian Delph can offer fresh options in midfield.
The return of Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne from injury has been ideally timed as well. The Brazilian only played the last 15 minutes against Fulham, but like Aguero he will be earmarked for a crucial role against Tottenham, so might be eased back into action over the next week.
After Saturday's win Guardiola also name-checked Vincent Kompany and Phil Foden, who had stayed in Manchester over the weekend, suggesting they will get a role against Cardiff. It would be no surprise to see Kompany start, with John Stones also in contention as he returns from injury, while Foden might be on the bench as he awaits his first Premier League start.
It's at times like this where a manager of Guardiola's stature really earns their money. Managing City's resources through their quadruple challenge, with key games every three or four days, is a high-wire balancing act.
But with key players returning to fitness at the right time, the City boss has the resources to cope. He just has to put the pieces in the right place in the jigsaw to keep everyone fresh for a thrilling, but tiring run-in.
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