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Both Manchester City and Arsenal welcome key players with long-term injuries as they begin their Premier League campaign on Wednesday night - but there was no place for Mesut Ozil in the Gunners squad.
Aymeric LaPorte starts for City and Leroy Sane makes the bench for the first time since the Community Shield in August, while the Gunners are able to call left-back Kieran Tierney.
While the three-month break was useless for several reasons, players like Sane and Laporte of City were not expected to play much for the remainder of the season due to serious injuries.
Nearly every manager has a perfectly fit squad to use after Hyatus - and the same applies to Arsenal, who would expect the signing of Summer Tierney to end those injuries in the end Who have so far influenced their gunners' careers.
However, the Gunners squad has no ozils despite having no apparent injuries, while Alexandre Lacazette is favored by Eddie Neketia.
Managers can now make five replacements per match to ease the pressure of stability, but with only three weeks of preparation, City boss Pep Guardiola fears clubs may not be ready.
He said: "We are ready to play a game. Three days later and four days after that, we are ready for all teams, not just Man City. So we have to go round.
"You can play a game after three weeks on vacation, but we are spending two weeks on the couch doing nothing. That's why the players are not fully fit."
He said: "The way we are now, I think other clubs and teams [as well], we don't know. If you ask me how the team is, I don't know.
XIs confirmed
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Garcia, LaPorte, Mendy, Gundogan, De Brune, D. Silva, Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling.
Subs: Carson, Aguero, Xinchenko, Rodrigo, Sanne, B. Silva, Fernandinho, Otamendi, Foden.
Arsenal: Leno, Belerin, Mustafi, Mari, Tierney, Willock, Guandouzi, Zaka, Aubameyang, Neketia, Saka.
Subs: Martinez, Ceballos, Lacazette, Maitland-Niles, Pepe, Luiz, Nelson, Colcinac, Martinelli.
