Manchester City return to action in the Premier League this afternoon as they welcome Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth to The Etihad.
The Cityzens booked their place in the last eight of the League Cup on Wednesday night with a 3-1 win against Championship side Swansea City away from home.
That night in Wales provided some players with an opportunity to show that they deserve to start in the Premier League, and Rayan Cherki grasped that chance with both hands.
The key change Pep must make to the Man City starting XI
France international, Cherki, came off the bench against Villarreal and Aston Villa in the last two games after returning from injury, and finally made a return as a starter against Swansea in the League Cup.
Rayan-Cherki-Man-City-Swansea
Cherki, as shown in the graphic, was incredibly influential in the 3-1 win over the Welsh outfit, with a staggering 119 touches across the 90 minutes, which led to him creating six chances for the team.
The French magician buried a composed finish into the bottom corner for his goal and played a slick pass through for Omar Marmoush to score in the second half.
Cherki is not the only player who should keep his place in the starting line-up from the win, though, as Pep Guardiola should also unleash Marmoush from the start to make Erling Haaland completely unplayable.
Cherki is not the only Man City star who can make Haaland even better
Haaland has scored 11 goals in nine matches in the Premier League, five more than any other player in the division, so you could argue that he already looks unplayable.
However, the Norway international blanked against Aston Villa last time out in the Premier League, as he only had 0.23 xG worth of chances, with Savinho and Oscar Bobb on the flanks to support him.
Savinho and Bobb, who are goalless in the Premier League this season, did not create any 'big chances' between them, which is why Cherki and Marmoush should be unleashed alongside Haaland against the Cherries.
Marmoush-Man-City
They could provide a tangible threat at the top end of the pitch that the other two forwards have been unable to, which could then create more chances and more space for Haaland because of the attention that they can draw from opposition defenders.
Marmoush, who scored against Swansea, has proven that he can provide a consistent threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals, for Eintracht Frankfurt and since his move to Manchester City in January.
Omar Marmoush (24/25) Bundesliga Premier League
Appearances 17 16
xG 8.87 5.49
Goals 15 7
Minutes per goal 97 170
Big chances created 11 8
xA 4.14 2.12
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Egypt international produced 15 goals and 'big chances' created in 16 appearances in the Premier League last season, which shows that he hit the ground running in English football.
Marmoush, who was described as a "proper maverick" by analyst Ben Mattinson, also has good memories against today's opponents, as he won the club's Goal of the Season award with a sensational long-range strike.
The former Bundesliga star has the quality to be a real difference maker for the Cityzens, as evidenced by his statistics, and Cherki, given his output against Swansea, falls into the same bracket.
Their combined presence at the top end of the pitch against Bournemouth could draw some of the attention away from Haaland, giving him more space to work with, which could make him completely unplayable.
The Norwegian star is already the best striker in the Premier League, given his goal return this season, but selecting Cherki and Marmoush could take him to another level entirely.