Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is not guaranteed to be in the starting lineup when the league leaders host Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.
De Bruyne, 27, was one of City's most influential players last season with eight goals and 16 assists, and he averaged 36 league appearances in the last two seasons for the champions.
Knee injuries have sidelined him for large parts of this season, however, and the Belgium international has started only four Premier League games.
"It's quite possible," Guardiola told reporters when he was asked whether De Bruyne would be on the bench.
"At the end, we judge the players for who they are but they are there to perform.
"There are times when team mates are in better condition. In football, what you have done in the past, you have to do in future."
De Bruyne did not start Wednesday's 2-0 win at Everton, and Guardiola said it was a tactical decision to leave him on the bench.
"At Goodison (Park) they play with a lot of set-pieces, we are not a tall team so we wanted players for that," Guardiola said.
"We try to control the players, he (De Bruyne) played the last two. At Everton he got a few minutes, I want him to play as much as possible, he went out for five minutes and he was incredible.
"I want him to sustain that for a long time. When you're out a long time, I don't want him playing game (after) game."
Liverpool players must fight with every fibre: Klopp
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has urged his players to give "every fibre of their bodies" in the battle for the Premier League title.
Manchester City moved to the top of the league on Wednesday for the first time since December after Klopp's side limped to back-to-back draws against Leicester City and West Ham United.
However, Klopp has dismissed the notion that Liverpool are wilting under the pressure of bidding for their first top division title in 29 years.
"I got a message this week, another sign that people think I need help – I don't need help, I'm fine – but it said in the last 10 games City dropped 12 points and we dropped seven," Klopp told reporters ahead of Saturday's game against Bournemouth.
"Is it interesting for me? Not really, but obviously the view from outside is completely different.
"The good news is we are still in there but the only chance to improve is by winning football games. We will be ready with each fibre of our bodies to fight for everything."
Klopp confirmed centre-back Joe Gomez will be out for up to six weeks as he continues to recover from leg surgery, but Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum took part in first-team training this week.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is recovering from a long-term knee injury, was added to the Champions League squad but Klopp played down expectations regarding the return of the England midfielder.
"If we go to the semi-final I think he is available," Klopp added.
"Maybe quarter-final, I am not 100 percent sure, but he still needs time. Everything looks fine, but now I wait for the green light of the medical department... We are not at that point in the moment."