Erling Haaland must have enjoyed the last six weeks, even if he would have preferred to be representing Norway at the World Cup, as he's had a welcome break from his every move being scrutinised. Now back and refreshed for Manchester City, Haaland is expected to lead the line against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup where he will hope to score his first goal against Jurgen Klopp's men in sky blue.
He responded to a blank against Liverpool in the Community Shield (which included a remarkable six-yard miss) with a run of 23 goals in 18 City games, although he failed to score in October as City were beaten at Anfield in the Premier League. An end to that two-game barren run against Liverpool would be well-received on Wednesday as City look to get back into their rhythm as quickly as possible following the World Cup.
And with Julian Alvarez still soaking in his status as World Champion back in Argentina following four goals in Qatar, Haaland is in an unfamiliar position of having to fight for his place. Alvarez has seven goals and three assists in his last eight starts for club and country, so must be in the frame to start when he returns to the Etihad. If Haaland can pick up his scoring form in the next three games before Alvarez is back, he might be able to hold off the World Cup winner ready to displace him.
City and Liverpool have wisely come together during the break to try and put an end to the toxic rivalry developing between the sides, especially after a string of unacceptable incidents in that October clash at Anfield. Both sides will hope their appeals to fans to help police themselves will ensure there are no sick chants heard from the stands, with an increased Liverpool following set to provide a fierce atmosphere.
Guardiola accepted that he and Jurgen Klopp hold responsibility for keeping their emotions in check on the touchline, even if it's hard to remain calm at times. So if the hard work behind the scenes is to pay off, then both managers may need to behave as well as the supporters in the stands at the Etihad.
With a six-week rest and a fortnight of training with City coaches under his belt - without any senior full-backs to share the training pitch with - Sergio Gomez should be in line to start vs Liverpool. After a few shaky performances before the World Cup, Gomez appeared to be well down the pecking order and Guardiola was preferring the likes of Nathan Ake as auxiliary full-backs rather than Gomez.
So if he is handed a start vs Liverpool, against Mo Salah or Diogo Jota, it will be a test of how much he has taken in over the last six weeks. Should City lose, and with Chelsea awaiting in the FA Cup third round, his chances of much game time for the rest of the season appear slim.
Having experienced difficult World Cups and flying home after the group stages, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan have had some extra time to rest ahead of the festive schedule. That is undoubtedly a boost to City, and both looked like they had a point to prove in the friendly win over Girona at the weekend.
If they have the same motivation against Liverpool, City's makeshift line-up will be boosted, and the chances of progressing to the quarter-finals increases. Both may have played in their last World Cup now, but they can continue winning trophies with City, and the Carabao Cup has provided plenty for the Blues in recent years. Neither midfielder would complain if they remained on track for another winner's medal.
Even though this is against Liverpool, the Premier League remains the priority and City have five points to make up over Arsenal. An intense new year schedule sees City face Chelsea and Tottenham twice, Manchester United and Arsenal away, plus three potential Carabao Cup games and another possible FA Cup tie - all in the first six weeks of 2023.
Guardiola will need his full squad for that run, and will hope for the players to rediscover their rhythm as quickly as possible. There is no better way to do that than put in a competitive performance against Liverpool to take into the Christmas period. A first win against Klopp's men in six meetings would be a perfect start to an extremely difficult run.