Manchester City will be relieved to welcome back Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony for their Premier League match against Newcastle United on Saturday evening.
The champions won only one of six games while Toure and new £26m signing Bony were helping Ivory Coast win the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.
This stuttering run of form saw the Citizens lose the ground that they had worked so hard to make up on leaders Chelsea and they could be 10 points adrift at the top by kickoff at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.
Toure's running power and goals have certainly been missed in City's midfield and his return could not come a moment sooner, with the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Barcelona on Wednesday.
Former Swansea City frontman Bony is also available for the visit of the Spanish giants after being preferred to Stevan Jovetic in Manuel Pellegrini's European squad, and he could be in line for his full debut against Newcastle.
Sergio Aguero may not be risked having limped off after scoring twice in the 4-1 victory over Stoke City last Wednesday, and therefore Bony may get the nod to spearhead City's attack ahead of the goal-shy Edin Dzeko.
Accommodating the Ivorian pair may be the only changes that Pellegrini makes from their triumphant visit to the Britannia Stadium, with Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala both fit again to partner each other in defence.
Newcastle have reasons to be confident heading to Manchester, having gone three games unbeaten since John Carver was confirmed as manager until the end of the season, and already won at Eastlands this season.
A second-string Magpies side shocked holders City 2-0 in October to knock them out of the Capital One Cup. From that team, only Daryl Janmaat, Fabricio Coloccini, Massadio Haidara and Jack Colback are expected to start.
The rest of the lineup is likely to be similar to the one which drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on their last outing, in what proved to be a rather subdued reunion with former manager Alan Pardew.
However, the visitors have an AFCON winner of their own at their disposal again and Cheick Tiote should be brought in to stiffen the midfield. Ayoze Perez's form has cooled and he may be the attacker sacrificed.
Newcastle have not moved from 11th position in the table for over a month, but three points against the title hopefuls could see them climb to ninth depending on Stoke and Swansea's results this weekend.
Man City:
Form in Premier League: WDLDDW
Form in all competitions: DLLDDW
Possible starting lineup: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov; Fernandinho, Toure; Nasri, Silva, Milner; Bony
Newcastle:
Form in Premier League: DLLWDD
Form in all competitions: LLLWDD
Possible starting lineup: Krul; Janmaat, Coloccini, Williamson, Haidara; Tiote, Colback; Cabella, Sissoko, Gouffran; Cisse
Sports Mole says: 3-1
Joe Fish
