Manchester City may have already secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League but Tuesday’s home game against bottom of the group Feyenoord is far from meaningless.
Pep Guardiola knows a win against the Dutch champions will all but secure top spot in the group with second place Shakhtar going away to Napoli.
If it all goes to plan for the blues it means the final game away in Kharkiv against Shakhtar will be a dead rubber. Given it is a few days before the first Manchester derby of the season at Old Trafford it means Pep can rest key players.
Another issue ahead of the tie at The Etihad this week is who will line up in defence. Despite Guardiola’s beaming smiles for the cameras following his side’s win at Leicester on Saturday, the sight of John Stones hobbling off with a hamstring injury will have soured his mood.
City face some big tests over the weeks to come and it seems they will have to overcome them without their best central defender. Vincent Kompany’s return could not have come at a better time but he looked rusty in the early going against Leicester and was lucky to avoid an early red card.
Pep could be tempted to give him another 90 minutes on Tuesday so that he is up to speed but given his dreadful injury record anybody could forgive him for wrapping him cotton wool for the weekend. Eliaquim Mangala (annoying pronounced Mongola by the BBC Five Live commentator on Saturday afternoon) filled in for the suspended Nicolas Otamendi and it would be no surprise to see him given more game time ahead of a schedule in which he will have to play a key role.
Fullback Danilo has also played at centre-back, but usually as part of a three so Pep has options. The key will be who he trusts more and in what games he deems most important.
Ahead of the defence it may be a chance for some fringe players to shine. Despite the clamour, it is unlikely young Englishman Phil Foden will feature this week but one player who may get a chance is Oleksandr Zinchenko who impressed in the League Cup tie with Wolves earlier in the season. Ultimately, City fans won’t care who plays as long as they get the job done.
