Eddie Howe admits that every day for Newcastle United and their Premier League counterparts feels like it's on a "knife edge" due to the Covid situation.
The Magpies got the green light for their 3-1 loss at Anfield just moments after a batch of games had been called off ahead of the weekend.
But they now face an anxious wait to see if the Man City game goes ahead.
Already Pep Guardiola has been ruled out of the game while more players face testing, Howe said: "I think it's on a knife-edge.
"When you start losing players to Covid the worry for me is the competition becomes slightly unfair.
"And I don't think anybody wants to see that, people want to see a fair contest.
"They don't want to see disparity in games.
"I know we all want the product to continue - I am desperate for it to continue.
"I do think the welfare of the players has to come first and the supporters.
"I know that the people in charge of the Premier League will do that.
"But I think there is a lot to consider and it's not an easy decision to make.
"I am well aware of how complex everything is.
"We will follow the guidelines that we are given and see what happens."
Howe is trying to manage both his players and any potential levels of anxiety during what is turning into a stress-filled festive period for fans, families and Premier League sides.
Indeed, every supporter knows they face the danger of ruling themselves out of Christmas through self-isolation by attending games.
Howe added: "We're living that every day and following every guideline to stay fit and healthy.
"The games are so important that it would be remiss of me to talk about Covid and put doubts in their heads.
"The games are going ahead but if any player has any concerns any player can knock on my door and we can chat that through.
"We are following what we are being told to do."
