Everton have been warned there will be no drop-off from Manchester City even if Pep Guardiola decides to shuffle his pack for their Premier League showdown on Sunday afternoon (2pm).
A trip to Goodison Park comes in between two Champions League semi-final matches with Spanish giants Real Madrid for star-studded City and Guardiola will have to be mindful of the quick turnaround when naming his starting line-up. Rotation, though, is something the Catalan has form for throughout his City tenure.
Guardiola made six changes from the team that beat Leeds United for the first leg against Real, but resisted any urge to make substitutions at the Santiago Bernabeu in what was a compelling opener. City are ready to welcome Real to the Etihad Stadium for the second leg straight after playing Everton.
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With that European semi-final evenly poised, City have just over 72 hours between their next two games as they continue to plot treble success. But while that hints at further changes for the Everton meeting, Joleon Lescott reckons that is something the Premier League champions will routinely handle at crunch time this campaign.
Speaking on the BT Sport panel, Lescott, who played for both clubs, said: "I think that [rotation] helps Man City. They're used to that over recent years, that rotation.
"No-one's getting dropped, no-one feels like they're out of it for any spell because they're playing for so much and there's so much at stake. If you look at the last game [against Leeds] he made six or seven changes, but them players know they have to win and have to perform.
"I think that helps City's mindset stay focused."
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