With eight games played in the Premier League, Manchester City have work to do after falling right points behind Liverpool in the title race following shock defeats to Norwich City at Wolves.
Defensive woes following the long-term injury to Aymeric Laporte and Vincent Kompany's departure in the summer have left Pep Guardiola with problems to resolve during the coming months.
Fortunately, City will be optimistic of building a stable run of form after the international break with games against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Southampton, before a huge clash with Liverpool in November.
One potential cause for concern is the risk of players earning a suspension if they reach five yellow cards for the season, although City do not currently have anyone close to that tally.
Premier League regulations state that any player who picks up five bookings in the first 19 Premier League matches of the season will have to serve a one-match ban, which only applies to league matches.
Rodri, Nicolas Otamendi, Ederson, Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker have all been booked twice this term, which means they would only face missing the clash with Liverpool if they were to be booked in each of their next three league appearances.
Meanwhile, Joao Cancelo, Angelino, Ilkay Gundogan, Laporte and Fernandinho have all been booked once in the opening eight fixtures of the season.
At Liverpool, the situation is different as Fabinho has been booked three times this season and the Brazilian could therefore miss the clash with City next month if he is booked in two of the three matches prior to that clash.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been booked twice, while James Milner and Adrian have had their name taken by referees once so far this season.
In order for any Premier League player to avoid earning a one-match ban for picking up five yellow cards, they must earn their fifth after the cut off point on December 31st.
However, players who accumulate 10 yellow cards in Premier League matches up to and including their team's 32nd fixture of the season will serve a two-match suspension in the competition.
