Arsenal have the chance to go ten points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday evening, should they defeat Everton at the Emirates Stadium.
They would have played two more fixtures than second-place Manchester City, of course, who travel to West Ham United later in the day and have another game in hand besides, but it would still be an imperious position for Mikel Arteta's men.
After a shaky post-festive patch, Arsenal have recovered form, in with the chance of stretching their winning league run to four matches. However, the Gunners have looked a little leggy of late - as Wednesday's draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League showed.
Saka-Arteta-Arsenal
And Bukayo Saka has been at the centre of such fatigue, with his performance in Germany leaving a lot to be desired.
Why Arteta could boldly drop Saka
Saka, 24, is Arsenal's star forward. However, Saka is also struggling to play to his maximum right now, and aside from the dreary draw in Leverkusen, he has only scored twice across 14 recent league outings (albeit both goals came in Arsenal's past four fixtures).
Saka's Performance at Leverkusen
Stats
Minutes played
Goals + Assists
Touches
Shots (on target)
Accurate passes
Possession lost
Chances created
Crosses
Dribbles
Recoveries
Tackles
Duels won
The England international has been vital to Arteta's system over the years, but Everton are a physical side who will try and disrupt Arsenal's attacking flow this weekend.
Bearing that in mind, it might be worth making a change, especially with Noni Madueke waiting in the wings.
Saka's fellow Three Lions star is an electric and dynamic attacking presence, and after sitting through the Londoners' past two Premier League outings as an unused substitute, he'll be raring to earn a start after his bright cameo in Germany.
However, Madueke hasn't been too effective in the Premier League this season, only scoring twice, and Arteta has a different weapon he could unleash in Saka's place.
Arsenal's "future superstar" could replace Saka
Saka is the perfect illustration of Arsenal's Hale End academy, a world-class player whose rise from the youth ranks has been synonymous with the Emirates Stadium side's wider development over the past six years.
When he emerged as a teenage prodigy, Saka played. He was good enough to take on a focal role from the outset, and maybe now it's Max Dowman's turn to do something similar, following in the footsteps of the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Jack Wilshere, two great academy graduates of Hale End.
Max-Dowman-Arsenal
Dowman is only 16 years old, and has not yet completed his GCSEs. Not that that has stopped him from establishing himself as one of the most gifted youngsters in world football, and Hale End expert Will Balsam hailed him as "the biggest talent in England."
Sidelined with an ankle injury for the past several months, Dowman made his way to Arsenal's bench for their previous Premier League outing, a 1-0 win over Brighton in which Saka scored the goal.
Even with the star winger's winning contribution, he should still be dropped on Saturday, with Arteta now entering juggling territory, tasked with managing the Gunners' quest for silverware across four fronts.
And it's not like Dowman doesn't have the star quality to make his mark. Naturally skilful and a handful for opponents with his pace and energy and boyish enthusiasm, the youngster was excellent in Arsenal's FA Cup win over Mansfield Town last weekend, completing four dribbles and winning seven duels.
This is a prospect who has everything he needs to become a "future superstar", as remarked by sports content manager Ben Littlemore, and Arteta will only help him realise that by handing him minutes on the big stage.
He's not the finished article, of course, but Dowman has shown that he has the skill and the physicality to withstand pressure applied by Premier League defenders, and it would certainly knock David Moyes' pre-match preparations out of kilter.
Max-Dowman-Mansfield-Arsenal
Dowman is a direct and seat-raising talent, someone who fans would perhaps prefer to see on the right wing than Madueke, with the youth's homegrown nature and the thought of him scoring his first goal in the English top flight apt to create a deafening cheer.
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It's been a tough few months for Saka at Arsenal.