There’s never a bad time to win the Premier League, but it would be understandable if Manchester City minds were elsewhere this weekend.
Pep Guardiola’s side stand on the cusp of a first-ever appearance in the Champions League final following their 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
However, City aren't taking anything for granted against a team containing Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria, particularly as PSG have already won away at Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich this season.
Everyone at the Etihad knows that the job is only half-done.
However, Tuesday's second-leg showdown in Manchester is preceded by a trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday, and a win at Selhurst Park, coupled with a victory for Liverpool at second-placed Manchester United 24 hours later, would see City claim a third league title in four years.
Guardiola insists that the Premier League is the priority at the start of each season, so it would not be a surprise to see him field a strong line-up in London.
However, with City 10 points clear with just five games to go, it’s highly unlikely that United would catch them even if they slipped up at Palace.
They would still only need a maximum of two victories from their remaining home games against Chelsea and Everton, and visits to Newcastle and Brighton.
Understandably, though, Guardiola wants to get the trophy secured as soon as possible. City's crazy schedule is taking its toll on the players.
They have been competing in four competitions for the majority of a season that has been both shortened and congested by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
City’s last four games have been Chelsea in the FA Cup, Aston Villa in the league, Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and PSG in the Champions League – with none of them at the Etihad.
“These two weeks were so difficult, strange for me even,” Guardiola told his pre-match news conference on Friday.
“After the FA Cup defeat by Chelsea, if we only thought about the Champions League and not the Premier League, we wouldn’t be 10 points clear.
“You saw yesterday [against Roma] how strong United are. The best thing is to focus on the next game. We still need six points, as I believe that United can win all their games.
“The sooner we can win the title, the better. Then, we’ll play the Champions League like it’s the last game of the season.”
There will be changes against Palace, then, and not just because John Stones is suspended.
Guardiola said his side were tired and any of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Ruben Dias, Riyad Mahrez, Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo could be rested after playing in the win over PSG and the Carabao Cup victory over Spurs three days earlier.
Guardiola has to wrestle with a selection dilemma of holding players back for Europe, or keeping the momentum going by continuing to call upon his core players from the second half of the season.
He does at least have the luxury of a fully-fit squad to choose from and several quality players on the fringes are desperate to show their worth ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League semi-final second leg, and a potential Istanbul final in May.
Raheem Sterling and Aymeric Laporte have been among Guardiola’s most consistent performers since he joined the club but have suddenly found themselves spending more time on the bench than usual.
Sergio Aguero would be desperate to end his brilliant decade at City by making a big impact in the final weeks of the season, while Fernandinho has been a reliable and consistent performer all season.
And Guardiola does not doubt any of them will perform if called upon.
“The players are happy when they play. When they don't play, they are not happy,” he said. “It is not necessary to repeat the message.
“They know what you have to do, all the little details. The consistency they have shown, and the way they fought through the bad moments to turn the season around, is down to their commitment.”
There are particular reasons why a title coronation could be better delayed beyond this weekend.
English football is partaking in a social media blackout to protest against racial abuse online and with fans still unable to attend games because of the pandemic, City fans would be unable to share their joy in the usual ways.
And with the PSG game coming up, the players wouldn’t be able to properly celebrate either.
Their first title under Guardiola in 2018 was confirmed when United lost at home to West Brom but many of the first team headed to a pub in south Manchester to celebrate with fans.
If their league win was confirmed at Old Trafford on Sunday, there would be no party, given the players will be back in training on Monday morning, and only beer gardens are presently open in the UK because of coronavirus restrictions anyway.
Still, in spite of those minor inconveniences, there really isn't ever a bad time to win the Premier League.
