Pep Guardiola says he can’t really rest Erling Haaland right now, even though the goals have stopped coming for his star striker. Haaland’s only found the net once in his last seven games—pretty wild considering he had scored 24 in his first 23 matches of the season. No one in the Manchester City squad has played more than him, either.

Haaland’s racked up 30 appearances so far, just behind Tijjani Reijnders, who’s played 31. But when you look at minutes, Haaland’s way ahead—he’s spent 2,480 minutes on the pitch, 239 more than anyone else. Only once did he start on the bench.

The thing is, City don’t have another true striker apart from Haaland. Guardiola would probably turn to Omar Marmoush, but he’s been away at the Africa Cup of Nations. And after missing a penalty in Egypt’s third-place shootout loss to Nigeria, Marmoush likely won’t make it back in time for City’s Champions League game at Bodo/Glimt.

“I don’t think so,” Guardiola said when asked about Marmoush returning. “We need Erling, and we need everyone. I don’t know when Omar will be back, so Erling will play. He’s huge for us. We’re lucky to have him, given everything he’s done.”

He didn’t sound too sure what would happen in the next match. “We’ll see how they recover—physically, mentally. I can sense how they’re feeling.”

On top of that, Phil Foden picked up what looks like a broken hand during the Manchester derby loss, so that’s another headache. City just brought in Antoine Semenyo for £62.5m to strengthen their attack, but he can’t play in the next two Champions League matches—Bodo/Glimt and Galatasaray—because he’s not eligible.

Guardiola’s definitely looking forward to having Marmoush back. “Omar’s an exceptional player. But it wouldn’t be right to blame the missing results against United or anyone else on Omar not being here. That’s not fair to him or to the rest of the guys who show up every day and give everything.”

Honestly, I can’t see Pep Guardiola leaving Antoine Semenyo out of Manchester City’s lineup for Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi-final against Newcastle. Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany pretty much said the same thing to Sports Mole—Pep’s going to find it way too tempting after what Semenyo did last weekend.

Semenyo just arrived from Bournemouth for £64 million, and the guy barely had time to unpack before he tore up Exeter City in the FA Cup. He scored, set up another, and grabbed man of the match on his debut. Not a bad way to introduce yourself at the Etihad.

Now, after that 10-1 thrashing, Semenyo’s in the mix to keep his spot when City heads to St. James’ Park to take on the cup holders. McInerney thinks Semenyo will start on the left. And honestly, he figures Jeremy Doku should be a little worried about his place.

“I think Semenyo starts,” McInerney said. “People expect him on the right and Doku to come in, but I actually think Doku’s more at risk than anyone realises. To me, there’s a real possibility that in a couple of months, the starting wingers will be Semenyo and Cherki.”

He broke it down further: Doku’s a top creator; nobody doubts that. He’s electric with the ball, especially in the Premier League. But McInerney rates Cherki even higher as a pure creator—he’s got a different style, but he thinks Cherki has more genius and puts up more chances. Plus, Cherki scores more than Doku, even though he doesn’t always play out wide.

And then there’s Semenyo. As a goalscorer, he’s ahead of both. If you want one creator and one finisher, McInerney would go for Cherki and Semenyo. He says there’s a precision and simplicity to Semenyo’s game that could really appeal to Guardiola, especially on the left.

But he’s not ruling out Doku and Semenyo both starting on the wings, with Foden slotting in behind Haaland and Cherki dropping to the bench. It’s not obvious who Pep will pick. McInerney keeps coming back to the idea that Doku isn’t as safe as people think.

“He needs to be more direct,” McInerney said about Doku. “He’s brilliant, but sometimes he does a lot to achieve a little. It’s not a knock—his style is busy and effective. But he’s not a high-volume goals or assists guy. He creates a lot of half-chances and carries the ball brilliantly. But Semenyo does that too, and he scores far more. Honestly, I don’t think Doku’s spot is safe. I’d say Semenyo starts.”

That said, McInerney wouldn’t be shocked if both Semenyo and Doku get the nod against Newcastle, with Foden in the middle and Cherki sitting out. “I can see Cherki missing out, especially since it’s Newcastle,” he said. “Cherki’s been brilliant, but lately he’s looked a bit sloppy, and I reckon Guardiola might want to rest him, play Foden at 10, and start Semenyo on the right and Doku on the left.”

Looking ahead to the game itself, McInerney expects fireworks. “Neither side is going to keep it tight, let’s be honest. The city’s defence is shaky right now. Alleyne and Khusanov have done well, but this is Newcastle at St. James’ Park in a semi-final. There’s no way this ends 0-0. I’d take a goalless draw, but I just can’t see it. Honestly, it could turn into a classic—loads of goals, pure entertainment. I just hope City doesn’t lose. If they avoid defeat, that’s a decent result, especially with tired players and a patched-up backline.”